Breathe For You
by OnceUponAnOriginal
Summary: She left with her family to live in America at just four years old. But after a tragedy tears the Tachikawas apart, Mimi returns to Japan. A new school, with new friends and new memories to be made. But when her trust in her new friends is tested, will her dreams of a fresh start be shattered? AU Michi. Rated T for some naughty language. I DO NOT OWN DIGIMON, OR THE COVER PIC.
1. First Day Nerves

**Hello, reader! This is the replacement for my (massively) failed fic Til We Meet Again. The plot is different, and a bit more upbeat. No more depressing rifts between our lovely Tai and Mimi :) It's going to focus on trust, support and friendship, so it'll be a little less grim than the last one :P First chaper isn't going to be all that interesting, it's just a introduction of our fave characters on Mimi's first day at a new school, but we'll be progessing much quicker after the first couple of chapters. I hope you enjoy, please review if you like it :) Thank you for your patience.**

**So. Here we go.**

**BREATHE FOR YOU, 12 September 2014**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER ONE <strong>

One look.

One look at the large doors of the building she approached was all it took to turn her legs to jelly and send sparks of fear shooting through her veins. She smoothed her new, regulation green skirt and took a deep breath to steady herself.

'Hold it together,' she said quietly. 'You're a big girl. You can do this.'

Mimi Tachikawa stood in front of her new school and stared in awe. It was huge, much bigger than the one she had attended in New York, and students bustled past her, seemingly pleased at reuniting with their classmates and starting the new term in high spirits. She wished she could have said the same for herself, but the truth was, she was anything but excited. She'd never been more afraid in her life. A quick glance at a girl standing not four feet from her told her that she wasn't the only one. The girl looked young – younger than Mimi at least – and she fiddled with the hem of her skirt nervously. She was of average height with a skinny frame and sported large round glasses and lavender coloured hair. Mimi briefly wondered if the school allowed such a hair colour, but her curiosity was eliminated when the girl caught her eye. She offered her a small smile. At least she wasn't alone in her fear.

'Hi,' the girl stuttered. 'Are you new here, too?' Mimi nodded, and the girl held out her hand. 'I'm Yolei.'

'Mimi,' she replied, politely shaking the hand offered to her. She could tell that the new girl was frightened from the strain in her voice and the effort she had so obviously put into introducing herself. Plus, she could practically smell the anxiety from where she was standing. But then, that could just as easily have been her. She _was _scared. They shared a shy smile before a tall man strode towards them and they focussed their attentions on him. He was quite handsome, Mimi saw, and not that old either. He could have easily been in his early twenties. She suddenly felt foolish for standing there like a small child with shaking legs and she straightened, trying to muster all the confidence she could manage. The man stopped no more than a two feet away from them and grinned brightly.

'Miss Tachikawa?' Mimi nodded. 'Miss Inoue?'

'Yes sir.' Yolei's voice was quiet.

'I'm Mr Jenkin, I'd like to welcome you to Odaiba High School. Now, I know you girls must be nervous, but I can assure you, you'll fit in just nicely in no time.' The man clasped his hands together and continued to smile. He had a charming smile, Mimi noted. Good teeth. 'So. Would you girls like me to show you to your lockers?'

A simple nod from both of the girls had the teacher gesturing for them to follow him, and they did, up the stone steps, right through those big scary doors and into a vast corridor, lined with lockers. A few students chatted next to the walls, and Mimi stared at them, admiring the way in which they seemed so at ease. She hoped she would feel that comfortable soon.

'Ah, here we are,' said Mr Jenkin, stopping next to a row of lockers and pointing at a specific two. 'Tachikawa, this one's yours, and Inoue, this is yours.' He gave the girls a combination each, and Mimi made a mental note of it, promising herself that she would write it down later. 'You can decorate it in whatever way you like, but nothing too outrageous, and keep stickers, photographs and whatever to the inside. Nothing is to be stuck to the outside, understand?'

'Yes sir,' the girls said in unison.

'Good. Ah!' The teacher cornered a tall boy and threw an arm around him, guiding him over to the girls. The boy looked irritated to say the least, and Mimi found herself thinking that he would actually have been extremely attractive if he'd bothered to smile. 'Mr Kamiya! So nice of you to join us.'

'Huh?' the boy mumbled in confusion. Mr Jenkin sighed exasperatedly and gestured towards the girls, Mimi in particular. The kid so far known only as 'Mr Kamiya' suddenly slapped his forehead with his palm. 'Oh! Yeah, right. New girl. Got it.'

Mr Jenkin smiled kindly at Mimi. 'Mimi, this is Tai. He's going to keep an eye out for you for your first few days. Just to make sure you settle in nicely. If you need anything, he's your man. He's a monumental pain in the ass, but not so bad when you get to know him.' He winked at her and laughed at Tai, who rolled his eyes in irritation. 'Now, Kamiya. Where's that sister of yours?'

'I dunno. She probably forgot, too.'

'Typical. I'd better go look for her. Enjoy your first day, Mimi. Remember to just ask if you need anything. Yolei, if you'd like to come this way, please.'

Yolei flashed Mimi a small smile as she passed with the teacher, and the older girl waved. She was going to get along just fine with her, she knew it. It had been less than fifteen minutes and she'd already made a new friend. That made her feel a little more relaxed. Until she looked back at the boy she had been abandoned with. He looked at her awkwardly, as though he wasn't quite sure what to say. Mimi figured she'd better break the ice soon, or she might die from the discomfort.

'Is he allowed to call you that?' she asked quietly.

Tai frowned. 'Huh?'

'A pain in the ass.'

'Oh. I dunno. Probably not. But whatever. He's not so bad. He's actually one of the better liked teachers here. Speaks to you like a pal rather than a slave. Besides, it's probably true.'

'You don't come across as a pain in the ass to me.'

'There's still time. Honestly, I don't know why anyone gives me the time of day.' He looked at the floor sadly and Mimi felt a pang of sympathy for him as she looked at his downcast expression. It was almost as if he thought it was true. Like he had no confidence. That is, until he flashed her a wicked grin and placed a hand on her shoulder. 'Relax, I'm just fucking with you,' he laughed.

She frowned. 'What?'

'Don't get me wrong, I _am_ a giant pain in the ass, but I'm awesome all the same.'

'But… what… You just-' Mimi stumbled to get her words out as Tai chuckled.

'You'll get used to me. Just give it time. So. Mimi, right?'

'Uh… yeah.'

'Well, _Mimi,_ apparently we're together for the first and second period. Wanna walk with me?'

Mimi nodded and gave a small smile as he confidently held out his arm for her to take. Tai seemed… nice. Outgoing. Fun. The kind of person she needed in her life. Her social circle had always consisted of quiet, shy people. People like her. It wasn't often that people like Tai paid any attention to her, so she figured that she'd better savour the experience. Plus, he wasn't unpleasant to look at. He was slim but slightly broad and fairly tall, around six feet, with big brown eyes and a shock of messy dark hair. And there was no denying it – the way her name rolled off his tongue so smoothly sent a tiny shiver down her spine. Even his voice was attractive.

They walked down the corridor arm in arm, Tai pointing out certain rooms and Mimi nodding and smiling occasionally until they reached the stairs. She stopped abruptly as he turned quickly to face her.

'You know there's a rumour about these stairs.'

Mimi stiffened. She didn't like the sound of this. 'Oh yeah?'

Tai nodded. 'Yeah. Apparently, in the sixties, some girl fell and broke her neck on them. Splat. Crack. Dead.' His face was grim and serious and Mimi swallowed.

'Seriously?'

'Oh yeah. At least, that's what Joe says. Got the school talking for a while, anyway.' Tai shrugged. He took her arm once more and began to walk up the stairs slowly.

'Joe?'

'Joe Kido. Friend of mine. I'll introduce you to him at lunch. That is, if you wanna hang out?'

Mimi nodded, so pleased at the idea of being welcomed so soon that she almost forgot about the story of the poor girl with the broken neck. 'Sure.'

'Good. Our group could use another girl. Sora was getting antsy.' He looked at Mimi's confused expression and waved his hand dismissively. 'Another friend. You'll meet her, too.'

A surge of excitement flooded Mimi's mind and she couldn't help but grin. She was making friends already, something she had never been able to do easily. Maybe this place wasn't so scary after all.

Tai steered her towards a classroom just as a loud bell sounded and he looked at her.

'Just in time,' he winked. They entered the room and Tai made himself comfortable at a table next to the wall, behind a tall blonde boy who seemed to be studying. On closer inspection though, Mimi found him to be simply doodling.

'You're early,' Tai pointed out. 'What, did you shit the bed or something?'

'Dick. Hey, what's this? You abandoning me, dude?' The boy asked, turning to glare at Tai. It was a playful glare though, and Mimi sensed that the boys were good friends.

'Fraid so, Ishida. Looking after some fresh meat.' He gestured for Mimi to take the seat next to him. 'Come, sit down. Mimi, this is Matt. Matt, this is Mimi. She's new.'

She sat down nervously and the boy held out his hand to her. She took it gently, giving it a little shake.

'Pleasure,' he said. He had a flirty air around him, and Mimi could feel his eyes burning into her. He smirked cockily and she smiled politely in return.

'Likewise,' she replied. She took in his appearance; shaggy blonde hair, piercing blue eyes and a frame similar to Tai's – tall and slim, but a little less broad. The pair of them appeared to be equally as attractive, but in strikingly different ways. Mimi figured that Tai had to play some kind of sport, judging by his physique. Her eyes settled on a guitar case resting on the wall between Matt's table and her own and she nodded towards it. 'That yours?'

Matt smiled proudly and placed a hand on the instrument. 'Yup. She's my baby. Been playing since I was eight,' he boasted. 'You play anything?'

'Oh,' Mimi shook her head, 'no. My brother played the guitar. He tried to teach me, but I was never really interested enough to pay much attention.'

'So what _are _you interested in?'

Mimi squirmed under his gaze. 'Reading. Writing. I like drama, too.' She blushed. 'I wanna be an actress.'

'Hey, don't be going red on me, that's pretty cool,' Matt said.

'Do you mind?' Tai interrupted. 'I'll just leave, shall I?'

Matt smirked and leaned against the wall, resting his feet on the chair next to him. 'Getting jealous?'

'No one needs to get jealous,' smiled Mimi, amused at their banter and feeling more confident as she joined their conversation. 'Plenty of me to go around.'

Tai winked mischievously. 'Ooh, kinky. Though I don't think Matt would be my third wheel of choice.'

A sudden reddening of her cheeks gave Mimi's embarrassment away. 'Oh, I didn't mean-'

'I was kidding, Mimi. Jeez, I thought you were from America.'

'Yeah, so?'

'Aren't people there supposed to be really laid back?'

'I dunno. Besides, I was born here… wait, are you calling me uptight?'

Matt laughed. 'No, he's not. But you should relax a little. A little banter's good for the soul.'

'And the mind,' Tai added. 'Seriously, school is stressy enough without lacking a sense of humour.'

'Excuse me,' Mimi said defensively. 'I _do _have a sense of humour.'

Tai nudged her lightly. 'Then use it,' he winked.

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><p>Mimi's morning lessons at Odaiba High were over fairly quickly, mainly because the first two were spent making fun of the teachers with Tai. There was a small part of her that worried for his grades as well as hers as a result, but it was her first day. She was settling in and getting to know the routine. As far as she was concerned, it was necessary for her to become comfortable in her surroundings before being able to fully focus on anything. So she was relieved to feel that she would settle in quickly and do well there. She liked it. The teachers seemed nice, the atmosphere was welcoming, and her classmates appeared friendly enough. She was a little surprised, though, to find herself thinking that there was only one particular classmate she was interested in. Probably because he had taken her under his wing or something, but all she could really think about during the lessons she hadn't been with him was seeing him again at lunch, where he would introduce her to his friends. A small shudder made its way down her spine at the thought. What if they didn't like her? What if their banter was even more intense than Tai and Matt's and she didn't understand it? Or even worse – what if Tai forgot she was there and left her to her own devices? She didn't voice these concerns even once she left her class and bumped into Tai himself, who was waiting outside the door for her. He would think she was insecure or a wuss or something, and that just wouldn't do. So instead she forced a smile and took his arm when he offered it to her once more. Mimi's cheeks burned as she felt eyes on her. A lot of eyes. Mostly female, she noticed, and she figured that she must have been a source of envy at that moment. Tai <em>was <em>very handsome – in a slightly scruffy, boyish kind of way – and he was confident, carefree and cool. There was no doubt in her mind that he did not lack female attention in the slightest. Mimi avoided the stares aimed in her direction, instead glancing at the floor, trying to keep a small distance between herself and Tai, even though her arm was linked with his. He must have noticed this, but it seemed that the staring girls did not affect him in any way, because he simply pulled her closer and grinned as he led her down the bustling corridor.

She gasped when she felt his arm tighten on hers. 'What are you doing?' she stuttered.

'Giving them something to talk about.' He laughed heartily and winked at her. 'Relax, Tachikawa. Besides, it'll do my reputation good to be seen with a pretty girl on my arm.'

Mimi stared at him with wide eyes. 'Pretty?'

Tai glanced down at her and grinned confidently. 'Sure.'

A small smile graced her lips and she felt a blush creep onto her cheeks. She'd been called pretty on a few occasions before, but the only time she had ever really believed it was when the cute word fell from Tai's lips. The casual way in which it had rolled off his tongue made it seem all the more genuine, and Mimi found herself thinking about his compliment a little more than he had probably intended her to. They continued their stroll down the corridor, stopping every so often so that Tai could turn and salute mischievously at the occasional wolf whistle, causing Mimi to blush profoundly and dip her head so that her long blonde hair concealed her face. The sensation of Tai pulling his arm away from hers was enough to make her lift her head, but before she had the chance to be a little disappointed that he was no longer touching her, the newly released arm was making itself comfortable as it was draped over her shoulder casually.

'Hey,' said Tai, drawing her attention to his face. 'Whaddya look so nervous about?'

'Oh,' Mimi shook her head. 'Nothing. It's just… I'm not used to people looking at me.'

'Bullshit.' Tai's language caused Mimi to stop in her tracks. He turned to face her, a smirk playing on his lips as he took in her flushed appearance.

'What?' she stuttered.

'I said bullshit. Not used to people looking at you. Honestly, I've never heard so much crap.'

'Wow,' Mimi crossed her arms defensively. 'My impression of you is rapidly going downhill, so if you'd like to elaborate, speak up quickly.'

Tai laughed. 'Ooh, feisty. Wait, you're kidding right?' He faltered at her determined stance and Mimi would have laughed at his confused expression had she not been so confused herself. 'Ok, you're not kidding.' He put his arm over her shoulders once more and continued to walk, smirking at her still-crossed arms. 'Well let me tell you, blondie. You should _totally _be used to it.'

'Why?'

'Are you blind? You're _hot._'

Mimi gasped loudly. Partly because of Tai's bluntness and partly because of what he'd actually said. _Hot?_

'Hot?' she repeated the word as though it was dangerous, stuttering and forcing it off her tongue.

The tall boy shrugged. 'Sure. You honestly don't believe that?' He sighed as Mimi said nothing in reply. 'You're worried,' he pointed out knowingly. 'What're you worried about?'

Mimi frowned slightly. Tai was nice – from what she had gathered so far, at least – and he had been appointed look out for her. That made him the go-to guy when she had a problem, right? She groaned inwardly and stopped again. He turned to face her once more, although this time Mimi noticed a concerned expression flash across his features as he looked down at her.

She sighed. 'I'm scared. That your friends aren't gonna like me. That I won't fit in.'

Tai chuckled in what sounded like relief. 'None of us do, Meems. We're like misfits, that's the point. People who like us like that we're all so different, and those who don't like us can go fuck themselves. Makes no difference to us. The fact is, the things that make us different from each other are the things we appreciate.' Tai shrugged. 'For example, Matt's kinda laid back, but when someone upsets one of us, he'll lose his shit. He'll make the person responsible pay, and even though he tends to go a little too far sometimes, that's how we know we have a loyal friend in him. Joe's nuts. Like seriously nuts. He's a hypochondriac, panics about _everything._ But he says the funniest things. He's our source of entertainment in a way. Plus, he has a good heart and cares about pretty much everyone. None of us are really similar to each other. So don't worry about not fitting in at school. Because even if you don't, you'll fit in just fine with us, I promise.'

Mimi nodded. She didn't know how it had happened, but in the few hours she'd known him, trust had formed, and she felt better with his reassurance. She reminded herself of this when they approached a group of people sitting under a tree on a hill and Tai waved at them. He was right. Mimi could tell they were all different just by looking at them. There were three girls and a handful of boys, and they all had different styles. Even the way they sat distinguished them. Matt was the first one she noticed. He was sitting on the grass with one leg stretched out in front of him and the other bent, his hands behind his head as he leaned against the tree. A boy sat nearby with scruffy blonde hair under a white hat. He kinda looked like Matt. Beside this new boy sat a girl, absent-mindedly plucking daisies from the grass and picking the dainty petals off. She had shoulder-length, dark hair and familiar looking eyes. But it was the girl standing awkwardly behind her that gave Mimi a sense of relief. _Yolei. _The girl she had met earlier. Tai pulled Mimi to a stop on the hill and put a hand on her back.

'Guys,' he said brightly, 'this is Mimi. She's new. She can hang out with us, right?'

'Yeah, of course.' Voices of agreement rang in Mimi's ears like wedding bells. The awkward part was over.

'Good. Meems, you already know Matt. This is Joe.' He gestured to a lanky blue-haired boy with glasses, who hovered next to a bench waving sheepishly. He pointed next at a short-ish red-haired kid sitting at said bench tapping away on his laptop. He only looked up to give Mimi a quick smile and a wave, immediately turning his attention back to whatever was on the screen. Tai laughed. 'That's Izzy. He's never off that damn thing. This is Sora, she's bitchy, but she'll take care of you.'

The red-haired girl punched Tai lightly in the arm. 'Shut up,' she chuckled. She offered Mimi a hand and she shook it politely. 'Nice to meet you, Mimi. Bout time we had a couple of new girls, these boys were starting to drive me nuts.'

Mimi laughed.

'Oh, I see. I'm not enough, now?' A feminine voice turned Mimi's attention and her eyes settled on a smiling girl with the familiar eyes. They were brown and outlined with long, pretty, lashes. _Why did she look so familiar?_

The answer became clear when Tai laughed and moved to the girl's side, throwing his arm over her shoulders. 'And this,' he said proudly, 'is my baby sister, Kari.'

_That explains a lot._

'Younger sister,' Kari corrected him. 'I'm not a baby, Tai, no matter how hard you try and keep me that way.' She winked at him and Tai shrugged, pausing for a moment when he saw his sister join Mimi at her side. He shook his head.

'Whatever, sis.' He leaned over to the boy sitting near Matt and took his hat playfully.

'Don't be a dick, Kamiya,' the boy said. 'Give it back.'

Tai dropped the hat back on the blonde's head and grinned. 'This is TK,' he said. 'He's Matt's brother.'

Mimi smiled. She could see the resemblance. 'It's nice to meet you all,' she said kindly.

'You too,' replied Kari. She gestured to Yolei. 'I think you've already met Yolei.'

'Yeah, I have,' said Mimi, giving Yolei a little wave. All of her nerves melted away. She was glad the group seemed nice. She'd get along just fine with them, she knew it.

'Holy shit,' blurted Sora suddenly. 'Mimi Tachikawa?'

Mimi blinked once or twice and nodded dumbly. 'Uh… yeah?'

'I know you! We went to elementary school together for like a year. And my mom used to babysit you.'

Mimi's eyes widened and she gave a small smirk. 'How on earth do you remember that?' she asked. 'I must have been like, four.'

'I never forget a face,' Sora replied proudly. 'Yeah, you were the one who used to sit in my garden with your brother. Jake, right? You guys were inseparable. Hey, what's he doing these days?'

The smile fell and Mimi winced as she felt her chest tighten. 'Nothing,' she said quietly. A frown pasted itself on her forehead and she swallowed.

Sora raised an eyebrow. 'What do you mean?'

Mimi jaw tensed. Sora remembered him. She'd have to tell her.

'He, um… he died. Last year.'

Kari gasped audibly and a deafening silence suddenly fell on the group as Sora opened her mouth to try and find some appropriate words. It didn't look like it was working, because she could only stand there moving her lips like a fish until Matt appeared at Mimi's side and grinned.

'So, Mimi. Will you be joining us tonight?' he asked, changing the subject and apparently succeeding, since Mimi's eyes shot to his and she frowned.

'Why, what's happening tonight?'

Sora straightened and glared at Tai. 'You didn't tell her?' she asked incredulously.

Tai raised his hands in defence. 'It never crossed my mind!'

'Oh you are the worst,' said Sora. She looked at Mimi. 'Tai's parents go out every Friday night, so we usually chill round theirs. But Matt and TK were visiting their mother last week so hangout has been pushed to tonight. At my place. It's a school night, so we won't drink, but we'll probably watch a movie, play a game or something. You in?'

'Sure,' she said, a happy smile curling her lips.

If only her mother could see her usually shy, anxious daughter at this very moment, making friends and being invited over on her first day. And if only her beloved older brother could see her smiling genuinely for the first time in a year.

_Oh, Jake. _


	2. Siblings

**Hello my beauties! :) Thank you for your reviews, I'm glad you seemed to enjoy the first chapter. This one doesn't have much going on, but I spent the weekend with my family, including my two brothers, and it was actually really nice. Sounds weird, but I kinda feel like we bonded more. So this chapter is very sibling-focussed, and the next one will have our first taste of Michi luuurve :P Or at least, hints of it. I've only just started it, so we'll have to see how that one turns out :) Also, I'll probably be updating in two-week intervals. It makes it easier to write this story and my Yakari fic at the same time.  
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**Oh, I forgot to state in the first chapter that I do not own Digimon, or its characters. And that I'm completely disregarding the actual ages of the characters. Hey, it's AU, what ya gonna do? ;)**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER TWO<strong>

No one looks forward to going back to school after an awesome break. People look forward to seeing their friends again and bragging about their vacation. But no one gets excited about returning to classes, tests and homework. Tai Kamiya was no exception. He'd practically rolled out of bed that morning when his sister had banged loudly on his door and yelled that they were late, rudely interrupting a rather pleasant dream about a certain female celebrity. He'd cursed at his alarm clock for not waking him until he remembered that he'd actually turned it off twice and gone back to sleep, and in his tardiness, barely had time to fix his appearance, pull his uniform on raggedly, grab a slice of toast and leave for the dreaded first day back at school. On the plus side, it was his last year. He was soon to turn eighteen, and with the milestone age would come a whole new bunch of possibilities. His parents had promised him a car (under the condition that Tai would contribute to more housework, work hard at college and drive his sister to her dance classes) and planned to lift his curfew (something Kari was furious about, since she'd been begging to have hers increased by just thirty minutes for over a year). Tai was very much looking forward to becoming an adult. Until then though, school was beckoning him and he would just have to grin and bear it. Without the grin.

It was the thought of returning to his boring classes that gave him an irritated expression when he arrived that morning. He couldn't understand why people were looking so damn eager to come back when he could barely stand the idea of walking through the stupid doors. His hands had been buried deep in his pockets as he'd dragged his feet to his locker, daydreaming grouchily, before catching sight of Mr Jenkin.

'Ah! Mr Kamiya! So nice of you to join us.' An arm was thrown over Tai's shoulder as he rolled his eyes. What did he want now? There was no doubt that he was on good terms with the teacher, even going as far as to call him a friend, but it was too damn early in the morning, and Tai was not in the mood for happy people. Until he saw the reason for Mr Jenkin's interruption of his daydreaming. _The new girl. _He'd forgotten about her. He wished he hadn't, though. That way, he would have woken earlier to actually make a slight effort with his appearance. He'd seen her profile. The head had shown it to him at the end of last term when he informed Tai and his sister that they would be responsible for taking care of two new girls. Tai had been considerably more irritated than Kari at this, until he'd spotted his new girl's photo. At that, he'd raised an eyebrow.

And now she stood before him - in the flesh – and she was even prettier in person. Getting to know her was fairly easy; he'd messed with her a little from the moment they first spoke, and from her reactions, he'd known that she was a shy girl, who didn't quite understand his sarcastic, sometimes dry wit. _But no worries,_ he'd thought to himself. _I can change that. _And he immediately set his goal; to bring the new girl out of her shell and hear her laugh genuinely.

Yes, the first day back at school had surprised Tai; he'd begun it feeling annoyed at the concept of another school year, and ended it with a new secret project… and perhaps a small crush.

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><p>He was still thinking about the pretty girl when he returned home from soccer practice, but his head was wiped clear of any thoughts when he opened the door to his parents' apartment and was faced with something he'd hoped he'd never have to see. His sister, practically having her face eaten by a blonde kid in a white hat. He'd always known this would happen. She and TK had been destined to be together ever since childhood, everyone had said so. Tai had just hoped it wouldn't happen until she was at least thirty. Or forty, whatever. He cleared his throat loudly, causing the two lovebirds to spring apart, and when Kari opened her mouth to speak, Tai held up a finger.<p>

'I'm gonna leave and come back in. And when I do, I wanna see you on opposite sides of the couch.'

Kari rolled her eyes. 'Oh, please. It was just a kiss. Don't act like I didn't walk in on you losing your virginity when I was just an innocent kid.' She looked at TK, who gawked in disbelief. 'Seriously, I thought my eyes were bleeding. And I think I actually cried.'

'Innocent kid my ass, it was only last year. Anyway, you've always been a little shit behind mom and dad's backs. And it was the first and last time, I didn't even know you were home! Besides, you're fourteen, you shouldn't even know what… _kissing _is.'

The younger sibling snorted. 'Ok, firstly, I turned fifteen two weeks ago, jackass. But of course, you'd have known that if you pulled your head out of your ass from time to time. Secondly, show me any kid from the age of like twelve or thirteen who doesn't know what making out is.'

The tall boy's eyes doubled in size as he glared at his sister. 'TWELVE?!'

'It's just an example, Tai,' she groaned loudly. A sigh escaped her lips. '_My _virginity is still intact, if that makes you feel any better.'

Tai shuddered. 'Gross.' He threw his sports bag down and headed to the kitchen, not before turning back and pointing at TK. 'And take your hat off when you… _interact _with my sister, you. It's disrespectful.' He groaned at the unashamed giggles from Kari as he turned his back on them.

'I'm gonna go home and change,' he heard the blonde say, before the sound of a kiss filled his ears. He cringed. He poured himself a glass of water and slumped on a chair at the table. It wasn't long before he felt a presence behind him. The scent of floral perfume gave it away, the one Kari wore almost every day.

'Whaddya want?' asked Tai grouchily.

'Ooh, touchy,' teased Kari. She rolled her eyes at her brother. 'Great, another Tai tantrum. What is it this time?'

'What are you talking about?'

'This.' Kari waved her hand in Tai's direction, gesturing to his slouched, grumpy form. 'And this.' She approached him and poked his forehead, grinning brightly. 'Turn that frown upside down,' she said cheerily. 'Seriously, what's up?'

'Nothing. Just tired. You know how I am after soccer practice.'

'I do indeedy,' replied Kari, sighing loudly and taking a seat next to him.

'And then I come home to find my friend's brother with his tongue down my sister's throat.'

'Christ, Tai, move on already.'

'Whatever.' He eyed his sister, who was absent-mindedly twirling a strand of dark hair between her finger and thumb, and drumming the fingers of her other hand on the table. She sat casually, leaning against the back of the chair with her legs stretched out in front of her. Had Tai been in a better mood, he probably would have made fun of her for not being very lady-like, but now he could only look at her and allow a small smirk to curl one side of his lips. She was so much like him. Truth be told, he could never stay mad at her. It didn't matter what she did, she was the most important thing in the world to him, it had been that way since the first time he'd met her, when she was just a few hours old and sleeping soundly in a hospital crib next to his mother. He'd been just three years old at the time, but he could imagine the happiness he must have felt when his big, curious brown eyes had settled on his new baby sister's tiny form. Their parents still enjoyed telling the story of how Tai had babbled a promise to look after her forever and ever and ever when he first held her with his mother's help. Fifteen years later, he'd stayed true to his word. And he always would. He'd only ever have one sister, and he planned to cherish her and his parents for the rest of his life. His family was his everything; they could tell each other anything. That's why he didn't feel even an inkling of discomfort when he asked his next question.

'What do you think happened to Mimi's brother?'

Mimi glanced up at him and a large smile slowly made its way to her amused face. 'Ahh, that's what this is about. You're worried about her.'

Tai snorted. 'Pfft. I hardly know the girl, why would I be worried about her?'

'Oh, I dunno. Maybe because of that little crush you're harbouring.' She gave him a knowing look.

'What crush? There's no crush,' he said, frowning. _So much for being able to tell each other anything._

'Sure.' Kari winked at her grouchy brother.

'Grow up, Kari.'

'Grow up? Gosh, I'm sorry I didn't stroll right out of our mother's birth canal with a full time job and a briefcase like you did.'

'That's ridiculous,' he said. He crossed his arms and sulked. 'I'd never carry a briefcase.'

Kari snorted and laughed loudly. She continued to laugh even when he stood up and made to leave, scowling. As much as he loved Kari, there was the rare occasion when she irritated him to the point of not wanting to be around her. Now was one of those times.

'Hey, I'm sorry.' She stood up and moved in front of him so that he couldn't leave. 'I'll be serious now, I promise.' She offered him a warm smile to prove her earnestness. 'So. Mimi's brother. Wanna know what I think happened?'

'Sure.'

'I think someone she loved very much died and it's a personal issue. She said it happened last year, that's not actually that long at all, Tai. It's probably still fresh and painful. So whatever happened to him, she'll talk about it in her own time. Don't try and get it out of her. In fact, don't even mention it to her.'

'Must be horrible,' said Tai, trailing off.

'Hmm,' agreed Kari. 'Can't imagine what it must have been like. Christ, I don't think I could handle that. It's like, you have a brother your whole life and then he's just… gone.'

Tai looked at the girl in front of him. He couldn't imagine it either. In truth, he didn't know how he would carry on with his life if Kari lost hers. He'd have to, for his parents. But the whole idea was so traumatic that he felt a lump form in his throat. She must have been thinking the same thing, because she suddenly leaned on him and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face into his damp and slightly muddy sweatshirt. He held her close to him, trying to push away the horrible thoughts of losing her. _Poor Mimi,_ he thought sadly. They stayed that way for a minute or so, each silently telling the other that they appreciated them.

'Love you,' said Kari quietly.

'Love you too, sis.'

'Tai?'

'Hmm?'

'You really stink.'

Tai pushed his sister away and flicked her arm. 'It's called hard work. You wouldn't know what that is.'

'What's so hard about kicking a ball around?'

'You wanna try it? Go ahead, take my place on the team, we'll see how long you last.'

Kari giggled. 'Whatever, Tai. Go get your ass in the shower. Tell me when you're ready and we'll go to Sora's.'

'Sure thing, kiddo.'

* * *

><p><em>My brother,<em>

_It's been nearly a year. A year of pain and sadness, of reliving a moment over and over again. But I'm ready, Jake. It's time._

_I started at my new school today. It's a lot bigger than the one we went to in New York. The teachers are mostly nice, and the other kids seem pretty friendly. Which reminds me, I've made some new friends already. I know, right? Me! I think you'd like them. There's this one guy, Matt. He reminds me of you in a way. Similar hair, and he plays a guitar. Apparently he's extremely musically talented, just like you were. You could have done so much with that gift. You would have gone so far. __But you were taken before the world got the chance to hear your beautiful music, and it's a duller place because of it. It still hurts, Jake. There's a brief moment every morning when I wake up and don't remember. But then it comes back to me and it's like finding out all over again. It's so painful. I wish you were still here, with me and Mama. She's doing well. She doesn't cry much anymore. I even hear her laugh when she looks at your photos; I think she focusses on her lovely memories now, and the happy times we all had together when you and I were little. I wish we could have stayed that happy forever. But I know that life doesn't work that way. I know that life isn't fair. She's proud of you, brother. We both are._

_Why were you taken from us, Jake? Why did you leave such a huge gap in our hearts? I'm hurting, and I'm afraid that the pain won't go away, for I will forever be a sister without a brother. I need you, but all I have is memories, and that's all I'll ever have. I wish I'd told you that I loved you more often. I wish I'd let you know how much I appreciated you. I still don't understand why you had to leave me, but I must accept that I never will understand. I'd walk to the ends of the Earth to speak to you one last time and hear your voice, to see your smile as you laugh at something silly I've said. I'd do anything to bring you back, but it's time to move on. I hope I can make you proud, brother. I know you'd want me to be happy. I've accepted that you are gone now, and I understand that I need to live my life, even though I still grieve for the loss of yours._

_And that's why I'm ready, Jake. Ready to move on._

_Ready to say goodbye._

_Please don't think I'm leaving you behind. You will be carried within my heart until it stops beating. I'll always love you, and I will miss you until the day we reunite in heaven. But until then, please watch over me and smile as I learn to live again._

_Your loving sister,_

_Mims xxx_

Mimi dropped her fluffy pen beside her on the bed and took a final glance at the letter she'd written. It was smudged in a few places with droplets of salty water. But she was sure he wouldn't mind. She folded the pink piece of paper and walked over to her closet, sliding the door open and pulling a box out from the back. It was a large box, decorated with family photos and drawings. She lifted the lid and smiled sadly at the stacks of folded paper inside it. Hundreds of letters, written every day since the horrible event, and locked away in the back of a closet when there was still a small amount of denial, when a tiny part of her believed there was a chance he would come home and read them. Mimi looked down at the one she had just written, and closed her eyes as she planted a kiss on the paper. The last letter. The one she knew he wouldn't receive. A fat tear rolled down her cheek and a sob escaped her throat.

'Goodbye, Jake,' she said quietly.

A knock at her door made her jump, and she placed the letter in the box, replacing the lid hastily.

'Come in,' she said, quickly wiping her cheek with the back of her hand.

The door opened and Tai appeared in the doorway with his hands in his pockets. He looked even more handsome without the school uniform, Mimi noticed.

'Your mom sent me up,' he explained. 'She seemed a little wary of me.'

'Would you be excited to send a strange boy to your teenage daughter's bedroom?'

'Strange?' Tai smirked as Mimi simply shrugged. 'You ready to go?'

'Oh. Right. Yeah.' She caught his stare resting on the box in front of her, and she picked it up quickly, shoving it to the back of her closet and closing the door, praying that he wouldn't ask what it was. He didn't. She looked up at him and forced a smile. 'I'm ready.'

He flashed her a grin and gestured for her to pass him.

'Ladies first.'

* * *

><p>The walk to Sora's apartment wasn't a long one. It was spent generally getting to know each other – likes and dislikes, friends and hobbies. Tai's sister had come along; she had waited outside while Tai had called for their new friend, and flashed her a wicked grin when she'd seen her. That grin was so similar to her brother's that Mimi had no doubt that she would be able to tell they were siblings without being told. Kari seemed nice. She wasn't as cocky as her brother, but she shared the same dry wit and sarcastic humour. Past the witty front though, there appeared to be a sweet girl who obviously had a big heart.<p>

'So, Mimi, why'd you move here?' she asked brightly.

'Oh.' Mimi shrugged. 'I was born here. My family and I moved to America when I was four. I don't really remember much about this place because I was so young and New York came to be my home. But then my parents divorced, and my mother and I moved back to be closer to my grandparents.'

'Oh that's so sad,' said Kari kindly.

'It's not so bad,' said Mimi, trying to lighten the conversation. 'It's fascinating to see where I came from, actually.' She looked at Tai, who had a frown on his face as he strolled along the path between his friend and sister with his hands in his pockets.

'Why'd your parents split up?' he asked.

Mimi raised an eyebrow and Kari elbowed him sharply in the ribs.

She glared at her brother. 'You can't just ask someone that, idiot.'

'What? I'm just curious!'

'No, loser, you're just nosey. You should think before you open your mouth. Honestly, I spend half my life just wanting to slap the stupid out of you.'

'It's ok,' said Mimi after watching the siblings argue with a small amount of amusement. 'They just… didn't get on anymore. Arguments and stuff.' Only half true. _But not entirely a lie,_ she reassured herself. Tai shot a smug look at Kari and she rolled her eyes in return.

'Do you like it here?' she asked, changing the subject.

'Of course she does,' Tai interjected. 'Who needs New York when all the cool people are here?'

Mimi giggled. 'Yeah, it seems nice here. I'm glad I met you guys though. Don't get me wrong, I had friends in New York, but I seem to struggle to talk to people much these days. There's always a part of me that worries that people will think I'm weird.' It was true, she did have friends in New York. They were the quiet, bookish type. Mimi had been a rather athletic girl at one stage, and had joined the cheerleading squad. But the girls didn't accept her the way the 'geeks' did. Nevertheless, she had ignored the snobbish girls' odd looks and whispers and had enjoyed a rather smug feeling when she'd shown them how flexible she was.

'Aww.' Tai put his arm over her shoulders and grinned brightly. 'You don't have to be shy around us, Tachikawa. We're all as twisted as each other.'

The three shared a laugh and continued to chat as they walked. Before Mimi knew it, they were outside Sora's apartment. Tai banged loudly on the door and a tall woman with dark hair tied into a tight bun answered it hurriedly.

'Hello Tai. Quiet as always,' the woman said sarcastically. Mimi could tell from the air around them that Tai was close to her.

'You know me, Mrs Takenouchi.'

'Indeed I do. Hello, Kari.'

'Hi. You'll have to excuse my brother and his heavy hand.'

The woman smiled warmly at the siblings and then glanced at Mimi before looking back at Tai. 'Sweet mother of god, you bought a girl.'

Tai chuckled. 'Don't get too excited, she's just a friend. This is Mimi.' He glanced at the girl standing next to him. 'Mimi, this is Toshiko Takenouchi, Sora's mom.'

Mimi waved politely. 'Yes, apparently you used to babysit me.'

The woman smiled. 'Oh, Mimi, of course. I was talking to your mother just yesterday, it's been such a long time. You were just a tiddler the last time I saw you; you've grown into such a beautiful young lady,' she said. She chuckled to herself. 'For a moment, I thought our Tai was finally introducing us to a girlfriend. It never happens these days. Dare I say I wasn't too fond of the last one, I found her to be quite the little-'

'-Alright, I think she gets the idea.' Tai glanced at Mimi, who was blushing profusely, and smiled at her.

'Of course she does.' She smiled warmly and stepped aside. 'Come on in, kids. Yamato and the others are already upstairs.'

Sora's apartment was incredibly neat. Everything seemed to have a place, and her mother appeared to be constantly cleaning. OCD, Tai called it. Whatever the cause, Mimi found herself particularly wary of touching anything, even the walls. Thankfully, Sora's bedroom looked as though it wasn't part of the same house. It was small, clean and decorated nicely, but there were mismatched posters lining the walls, and books and schoolwork lay scattered on the carpet. The boys didn't exactly make the place look any tidier; Izzy, Joe and TK lounged on the floor as they watched Matt and Sora concentrating on the intense video game they were playing. Sora glanced up at Tai, Kari and Mimi as they entered, giving Matt the opportunity to win the game.

'Get in!' he said, punching the air triumphantly.

'Get a grip_,_' replied Sora. 'You only won because I was distracted.' She looked back at the new arrivals. 'It's about time, we've been waiting forever.'

Tai snorted. 'Drama queen.'

The red haired girl shook her head. 'Wait… Kari? You didn't invite Yolei?'

Kari frowned. 'Of course I did, what do you take me for? She's busy working in her parents' store or something tonight. She'll be coming to ours on Friday, though.'

'Oh thank goodness. For a second there, I thought you were getting to be just as insensitive as your brother.'

'Yeah, like that's even possible,' said Kari with a smirk.

Tai glared at her sulkily. 'Hey!'

The siblings sat on the side of Sora's bed, leaving Mimi hovering near the door.

'Jeez,' said Matt, leaning over and pulling a chair out from under a desk. 'Sit down, Meems, you're making the place look untidy.'

'Me? Take a look at you guys!' She worried for a moment that her comment had sounded rude and that she would offend them, but they simply laughed. She cracked a smile and sat down on the chair offered to her.

'So,' said Izzy, turning off the TV. 'What are we doing?'

'I dunno,' replied Sora. 'Go fish?'

A number of voices filled the room at once.

'Yes, I'm a fucking pro,' boasted Matt.

'Oh god, not again,' moaned TK. 'I suck at it.'

'How can you suck at it?' asked Izzy with a smirk. 'It's mostly a game of chance.'

'Which I lose like every time,' the younger blonde replied.

'Good,' said Mimi quietly. 'That means I have a better chance of winning.'

Tai laughed. 'That's my girl,' he said proudly.

Mimi blushed. _My girl. _She liked the sound of that. A pang of uncertainty shot through her stomach and she shook her head. _I hardly know him, _she thought. _Don't be silly._

'Alright,' chirped Sora as she shuffled a deck of cards. 'Let's do this.'

* * *

><p>He'd called her 'his girl'. He'd made her blush. <em>That was so out of line, <em>thought Tai as he settled on the carpet between Mimi and Kari. _Too late now, though. _So instead of feeling like an idiot, he laughed it off. Like he always did in awkward situations. It usually worked, and this time seemed to be no exception. Mimi was still smiling, though he wasn't sure whether it was genuine or not. He'd practically walked in on her during a personal moment earlier. He'd seen her red eyes. And even though she'd tried to hide the box, he'd seen that, too. And he'd known what it was. Kind of, anyway. It had to be some kind of memory box, he figured, since it had so many photos plastered on it. There was one that caught his eye. Obviously taken not much longer than a year ago, it portrayed a smiling Mimi, sitting on a wall. She was wearing a blue and white cheerleading outfit, and had her blonde hair tied up high on her head as she grinned brightly. She appeared to be sitting in front of a large building, maybe a school; and a large number of kids unwillingly found themselves in the shot as they appeared to pass her, chatting with their friends. The focus was on the smiling girl though, and the boy she had draped her arm over proudly. He appeared to be several years older than Mimi, and Tai assumed that he was not a student at the school, since he looked out of place among the younger students. He was without doubt a relative. They were strikingly similar. The same blonde shade, the same hazel eyes, even the same nose. He was smiling, too, but it didn't quite seem to reach his eyes. It was an empty smile, even Tai could tell. The same smile Mimi had given him when he had gone to her house. Warm, but not entirely convincing. The photo bothered Tai more than it probably should have, but he didn't know why. It was probably the haunting feeling it gave him; like he was looking at a ghost.

'Well that was terrible,' said TK, falling back on the carpet with his hands behind his head.

The game was over, and Tai had barely noticed. He'd spent the whole time thinking about Mimi and her damn memory box or whatever it was, and he didn't even remember taking his turns. _Wow, _he thought. _Must be on autopilot today._

'You alright?' Kari asked him. 'You seem kinda… robotic.'

Tai chuckled. 'I'm ok,' he replied. 'Guess I just zoned out a little.'

'Pfft, nothing new there, then,' said Sora, and she flinched with a giggle as Tai launched a pillow in her direction. She lay back on the carpet and sighed. 'I'm bored now.'

'I think we should go to the park,' suggested Izzy.

'Ooh, I like it,' Sora responded. 'That way, I can show Mimi where we used to play when my mom picked us up after school.'

'Sounds good to me,' said Mimi. She glanced at the young man sitting next to her. 'Tai?'

'Hmm?'

'You wanna go to the park?'

He raised a dark eyebrow. She was asking for his approval. His opinion actually mattered to her, and for a moment he lost the ability to form words. She barely knew him and she cared about what he wanted to do. It was a small, subtle gesture, one that seemed to go unnoticed by the others, but it struck Tai as he felt a small twinge of appreciation for the girl.

'Uh… yeah, sure,' he stuttered.

'Are you sure you're ok?' she asked.

_There it was again._

'Oh, yeah, I'm fine,' he said, waving his hand dismissively. He stood up and held out a hand to help Mimi to her feet. 'Let's go.'

He grinned brightly at her as her hand touched his, and led the group out of the crowded room. That was Tai all over – a leader. Always had been. And as he glanced at the pretty girl walking next to him, he had a feeling that he would be soon appointing a sidekick. He smirked to himself as he pictured the idea. She was a shy girl, and he had a lot of work to do if he wanted to bring her out of her shell. But there was something else that ate at his insides. She seemed sad. Which was understandable, given the death of her brother, but there was something more to it, Tai was sure. It was as he was thinking about her and what must have been going through her head at that moment that he felt an odd sensation stir inside him. He'd felt it before when Kari had been younger and sometimes he'd still feel it, but this was slightly different. It was warm, sweet, protective to the point of being almost overpowering. Even though he'd known her for no more than nine hours, he found himself needing to look after her.

He needed to make her happy.


	3. Scary Movies

**J: 'Kata?'**

**Me: 'Yeah?'**

**J: 'Tuna is chicken, right?'**

**Me: 'Uhh… no, love. I don't think it is.'**

**- Actual conversation between me and my drunk brother at 5am on Saturday. *Shakes head*. **

**Anywaaay, thank you so much for being angels and waiting patiently for this chapter without throwing shit at me. You're all awesome and I love you. Also, thank you for the reviews. I love those, too. Work is kinda busy at the moment, so I'm sorry that I won't be updating as often, but I'll do my best to keep up. Also, I'm absolutely knackered because my neighbours have been especially noisy lately; I've never been a violent person, but recently I've had a slight urge to go round and brick their windows for always keeping me awake until stupid o clock in the morning. Anyway. Kind of a long chapter here, and you're about to meet (well, hear about) two new characters - one you're probably not going to like and one I hope you _will_ like. We'll have some interaction with them a little later in the story.  
><strong>

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER THREE<strong>

_**FayeAngelova**__: Girl, you are so into him._

_**TachikawaMimi**__: I am so not._

_**FayeAngelova**__: So you got me up at like six in the morning to tell me about some random guy you don't have feelings for? Suuuure._

Mimi frowned as she glanced at the clock. _7pm_. Of course. Time difference. She shook her head.

_**TachikawaMimi**__: I'm sorry, I didn't realise._

_**FayeAngelova**__: Don't change the subject. Admit it!_

_**TachikawaMimi**__: Alright, he's nice. I like him. But maybe not in that way._

_**FayeAngelova**__: What's he like?_

_**TachikawaMimi**__: Sweet, funny, extremely charming. Around six feet, brown hair, beautiful dark eyes._

_**FayeAngelova**__: I rest my case._

_**TachikawaMimi**__: Damn you. I have to go. He's supposed to be here any minute. I'm going to his place._

_**FayeAngelova**__: You jammy little minx ;) _

_**TachikawaMimi**__: Oh, behave, there will be others there. Skype tomorrow?_

_**FayeAngelova**__: Sure, but you can stay up late this time. I'm not getting up early on a Saturday, it's like, against the law or something. Laters baby girl ;)_

Mimi logged out and shut her laptop. She sighed quietly. Faye Angelova had been her best friend in New York, and Mimi missed her terribly. The two had been inseparable. Faye was similar to Mimi in many ways; she was bookish and smart. But she was the only one out of Mimi's small group of friends that had somewhat of an attitude. She said it how it was, and if anyone had dared make fun of her friends in front of her, the perpetrator would find themselves burned half to death by her quick comebacks. She wasn't very popular; her appearance distinguished her too much. She was very pale, with long pure white hair that she often wore in a braid, and thick glasses. It never bothered her though. Faye was one of those people who never judged another by the way they looked, but rather by the goodness of their heart. It was one of the reasons the people who really knew her loved her so much. She had been a constant in Mimi's life when her brother passed away, when nothing seemed real or permanent. She'd kept her grounded, regularly came round to keep her busy, and even sometimes helped Mrs Tachikawa cook dinner. She was a good girl, and an even better friend.

'I should visit her soon,' Mimi said aloud. She shuddered. She didn't like flying, and the idea of spending another fourteen or so hours on a plane didn't sit well with her. Plus she'd have a hard time getting permission and money from her mother. Mrs Tachikawa – now known as Ms Tamura - was financially secure, what with the divorce settlement, but nowhere near as wealthy as the family had been beforehand, and the drastic change in lifestyle had caused the single mother to be extra careful with the money she had. Her income as a nurse was respectable, and she had an enviable amount of savings, but still. No more housekeeper. No more bar staff. No more _bar. _And without sounding too snobbish, it had taken some getting used to. But they were comfortable. And that was all that mattered. Mimi could get a part time job and save for her own flight, or go halves with Faye and have her come to Japan. It was as she was making her silent plans that she was bought out of her thoughts by her mother's voice.

'Mimi! You have a visitor!'

A small smile made its way to her lips as she jumped out of her chair and practically ran down the stairs, stopping for a moment at the bottom to compose herself. She glanced at herself in the mirror; her long hair was tied up into a messy ponytail, and she tightened it slightly before placing one hand on her hip and debating on whether she looked alright or not. She briefly wondered if she should go back upstairs and change out of her ripped skinny jeans and oversized pink sweater, but the option was quickly eliminated when her mother peeked around the door.

'It's rude to keep your guest waiting, you know, sweetie.'

'I know, Mama.' She looked back at her reflection and her mother gave a knowing smile.

'You look lovely, Mimi, stop stressing.' She lowered her voice and winked mischievously at her daughter. 'He's a charmer, isn't he? And so gorgeous!'

'Oh my god, Mom! I'm pretty sure you just committed some sort of crime.'

'Oh give over… what's his dad like?'

'Married.'

'Damn it.'

Mimi's mouth dropped open. 'Mama!'

'I'm kidding, Mimi! You're so serious all the time!' Her mother grasped her wrist lightly and pulled her towards the front door. 'Go. Have fun. But be good.'

'I will, I will.' Mimi kissed her cheek and smiled. 'Love you.'

'Love you too, baby.'

* * *

><p>'Ouch, shit.' Tai stumbled as he walked through his front door, and Mimi hid her small smirk as he cursed and raised his voice. 'Damn it, Kari, how hard is it to not leave your shoes lying around?'<p>

'Oh be quiet.' Kari's voice sounded from down the hallway, and she soon appeared. She approached Tai and shoved him lightly, putting her shoes on. 'I'm going to meet Yolei. We should be back before the others get here.' She patted her brother on the cheek patronisingly. 'And I promise I'll put my shoes away when I get in so you don't break your neck, k big bro?'

'Less of the sarcasm,' he said sulkily, though an obvious smirk was playing on his lips. 'Go on, get out of here.'

Kari glanced at Mimi and looked back at Tai, giving him a wink. 'Don't do anything I wouldn't do,' she said playfully.

'Out, now!'

Mimi smiled shyly at Kari's giggles as Tai practically frog marched her out of the door and shut it behind her.

'Sorry about her,' he said, leaning on the door.

'Why are you sorry? I think she's funny.'

Tai shrugged. 'Eh, I guess someone has to.' He walked past Mimi and held out his arm, gesturing to the living room. 'Welcome to the Kamiya residence,' he said dramatically.

Tai's apartment was exactly as Mimi had imagined it. Very… lived in. Not untidy, by any means, but homely. Nice. A real family home, with various photographs of the Kamiyas hanging neatly on the wall. One stood out to her, and she studied it carefully. A very young Tai sat with an even younger Kari in front of a Christmas tree. The pyjama-clad little girl had an extremely unimpressed expression as her laughing brother appeared to place baubles on her ears. She already had a halo of tinsel around her head, the look on her face was enough to make Mimi snort.

She pointed at the photo. 'What the hell were you doing to her?'

'I dunno, probably trying to decorate her.' He shrugged at Mimi's raised eyebrow. 'What? I was like six!'

Mimi giggled quietly. 'Poor girl.'

'Eh, I think it was a major improvement.'

'Don't be mean.'

'Me?' He placed a hand over his heart. 'Never.' He sighed. 'There's not much to do until the others get here. Shall we go upstairs?' He paused for a moment and frowned. 'Wow, that didn't sound as suggestive in my head, I swear.'

'It's ok,' she said. 'To be honest, I'm surprised you didn't wink at me after you said it.'

'Damn it, that would have been brilliant. Ok, let's go back and do it again.' He coughed quietly before composing himself and donning a suggestive pose. 'Shall we go upstairs?' He shot a flirty wink at Mimi and she giggled again.

'Idiot,' she said.

'Idiot?'

Mimi dropped her smile. 'I'm sorry, I didn't mean-'

'Mimi, relax. I'm not offended.' Tai laughed heartily. 'Just sounds weird coming from you.'

'Why?'

'I dunno, I guess it's because you're usually such a sweetie-pie.' He pinched one of her cheeks lightly, as if she were a chubby baby, and she playfully swatted his hand away.

They were interrupted suddenly when the door swung open and Sora slumped in, still wearing her school uniform and dragging her bag behind her. She glanced at Tai and Mimi - who looked at her with raised eyebrows - and rolled her eyes.

'Don't even ask,' she said grumpily.

Tai wandered over to her as she flopped onto the couch.

'Have you even been home?' he asked.

'Yeah,' Sora replied, 'for all of about five minutes.'

Tai groaned. 'What happened this time?'

Mimi watched the two friends as Sora sighed deeply and sat upright.

'As if a shitty day at school wasn't bad enough, I get home and my mother starts pestering me about soccer.' She paused for a moment. 'She wants me to leave the team and join the _cheerleading squad_.' She said the last two words as though they were dirty.

'What? Why?'

'She says soccer isn't feminine enough, and it makes me unladylike, and I should be doing something worthwhile.'

'And how is cheerleading worthwhile?'

Mimi cleared her throat. 'Hey! Cheerleading's worthwhile!'

Sora offered a small smile. 'He didn't mean that to sound as snarky as it did, Meems.'

Tai faltered. 'Yeah… I meant, how is doing something you don't want to do worthwhile?'

Mimi raised an eyebrow, but didn't really feel up to arguing in someone else's home, so she approached the two and stood in front of them.

'So,' she said, smiling at Sora. 'Why'd you have a shitty day at school?'

'Urgh. Had a run-in with Namika at lunch.'

Tai glanced at her. 'Ahh, so that's where you were. Wait, what did _she_ want?'

'Who's Namika?' asked Mimi with a small frown.

Sora sighed. 'Someone you really don't want to associate yourself with. Trust me, Meems, the girl's bad news.' She looked at Tai. 'She was convinced I was shooting her death stares in Biology. Got right up in my face after class.'

Tai visibly tensed. 'What did you do?'

'Told her she was deluded if she thought I wanted to look at her, because to be quite frank, I'd rather stare at a dog's asshole for an hour.'

Tai chuckled. 'Good girl.'

'Honestly Tai, I don't know what you ever saw in the horrible little bitch.' She glanced at Mimi. 'Don't ever trust him to make good decisions, Meems. Seriously, I warned him about Namika for ages, but did he listen to me? Did he hell. He still went and fucked her.'

Mimi's eyes widened and Tai frowned.

'How elegantly put,' he said disapprovingly. 'Maybe your mother was right about you.'

Sora swatted at his arm. 'I hate you,' she said.

'Love you too, Red,' he chuckled. 'She was my first and only, Meems. Don't get the wrong idea about me.' He winked.

Mimi smiled, though her mind was swimming. Who was Namika? And if she was as horrible as Sora made her out to be, why would Tai have anything to do with her? A small twinge of jealousy slithered through her veins, but she shrugged it off; she had no right to be jealous. He wasn't hers to be jealous about, nor did she know him well enough to want him to be hers. But she took a small amount of twisted satisfaction from the knowledge that his friends didn't seem to like the girl. She was bought out of her thoughts when Kari entered the apartment.

'I have returned,' she said dramatically.

'Yay,' replied Tai, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Sora smiled. 'Hey, Kar.'

Kari turned to Yolei, who followed her sheepishly.

'Come on in,' she said. 'The others shouldn't be long.'

As if on cue, Matt, Joe, Izzy and TK appeared at the door before Kari even got the chance to close it.

'The others are already here,' said Matt and he strolled in casually, followed by his brother, who planted a kiss on Kari's lips.

Tai grimaced and Mimi smiled as she watched Kari pull away with a dreamy smile on her face. _Ah, young love._

'Anyone want a drink?' the younger sibling asked.

Sora immediately looked up. 'Where's the vodka at?'

Kari giggled. 'Bad day?'

'You don't know the half of it.'

'Vodka and cranberry coming right up.'

Sora smirked. 'You know me too well.'

'Mimi? Yolei? You guys want a drink?'

Yolei nodded. 'Just a little one. I have to work tomorrow.'

'On a Saturday? Poor girl. Meems?'

'Oh,' Mimi shook her head. 'No, I can't be home too late and my mom will kill me if she knows I've been drinking.'

'You're lucky,' said Matt. 'Your mom actually gives a shit.'

Mimi raised an eyebrow and wanted to ask what he meant by his statement, but she had the feeling she already knew. Matt's mother was obviously someone he didn't think too highly of.

'Alright, let's not go there,' said Kari. 'Anyone else want anything?'

'Here,' said Matt, standing up. 'I know what everyone likes, I'll come help.'

'How thoughtful of you, Mr Ishida.'

'You know me.'

* * *

><p>Tai wished Sora hadn't bought Namika up. But what was done was done. What had been said could not have been unsaid. The truth was, Namika Matsuda was a part of Tai's past that he wished could stay hidden. But no matter how hard one tried, the past was something that couldn't be escaped from, and Tai knew this more than most. He had never had problems with girls; charming them was easy, asking them out was easy. He had developed somewhat of a reputation, though not one of being some kind of player. It was common knowledge at Odaiba High School that Tai had dated his fair share of girls, but unlike his best friend Matt, he wasn't known for thinking with his manhood. This was probably why girls liked him so much. Sex just wasn't as important to Tai as it was to most of the teenagers at school, and it meant that his girlfriends never had to feel pressured into doing anything they weren't ready for. Instead, he would watch any movie they wanted to – no matter how boring, - hold their hands in public, kiss them in front of his friends, and look at them like they were the only ones that mattered. The number of girls he had dated was irrelevant, because one thing was certain; Tai Kamiya knew how to treat the ladies. His dismissive attitude towards sex probably had a lot to do with Namika. When he was sixteen, he'd started dating the popular girl, much to his friends' disgust. She was known to be bitchy and spiteful, and that was not something the group wanted for their leader. However, Tai had been a regular, hormonal teenage boy and Namika's long black hair, pretty green eyes and perfect figure did things to him that he'd rather not have talked about. So despite his friends' objections, he'd gone ahead and asked her out. Things had run smoothly for a while; they were talked about often and considered to be the most attractive couple in the school, but things had gone sour very quickly.<p>

As if Mimi was reading his mind, she nudged him.

'So tell me about Namika,' she said.

He rolled his eyes. A part of him wondered if she was trying to draw details from him because she was a little envious, or if she was genuinely interested in his personal dramas, but either way, he didn't have to answer the question because his sister did it for him.

'She's a bitch, end of,' she said, carrying glasses with a bottle of vodka under one arm. She placed them on the coffee table and crossed her arms. 'And I swear, if Tai ever goes near her again I'll break her fingers. And then I'll break his.'

Tai smirked at the visible look of shock on Mimi's face. He couldn't blame her. She hadn't yet seen Kari in protective sister mode. As it happened, she was just as feisty as her brother when it came to looking after her family. It appeared to be a common Kamiya trait.

'Jesus, what happened?' she asked.

'I don't wanna talk about it,' said Tai.

'Well I do,' said Sora, and she ignored her friend's loud groan as he lay back on the couch and placed an arm over his face. She watched as Matt poured her a drink, gesturing for him to add more every time he stopped, and when she was finally satisfied, she took it. She visibly relaxed after the first gulp, and turned to the side, resting her feet in Tai's lap, much to his displeasure.

'Me too,' said Matt. 'Your future girlfriend needs to know what she's dealing with.' He glanced at Mimi.

'What?'

'Ignore him, Meems,' mumbled Tai from under his arm. 'He's winding you up.'

'He kinda has a point though,' said Kari. 'Girlfriend or not, don't associate yourself with her, Mimi.'

'Why?'

'Well… You know those types of girls who are clearly so unhappy with their lives that they have to bitch and victimise and generally make others miserable? She's not one of those girls. She's worse. The girl is pure poison.'

'Couldn't have said it better myself,' said Sora, raising her glass in agreement. 'You remember that girl she targeted last year? The one in the year below. What was her name?' She clicked her fingers several times as though she was trying hard to remember.

Kari sighed. 'Aiko.'

'That's the one.'

Mimi frowned. 'What did she do to her?'

Sora sat upright and looked at Mimi with a stern expression.

'There was this guy, Jet, and Namika was seriously into him. Honestly, I don't think he was all that interested, but she was adamant that they were going to be together. This was not long after Tai saw sense and ditched her spiteful ass. Anyway, one day she caught him talking to Aiko in class. He was only asking the poor girl if he could borrow a pen. But she didn't hear the end of it. Namika would follow her around with her friends, whispering and being generally bitchy. Aiko was a pretty good sport and took it with a pinch of salt, ignoring them for the most part. But when Namika realised her jibes and sniggers weren't bothering her, she stepped her game up.'

By now it was obvious that Mimi's interest had peaked.

'What did she do?'

'She told everyone that Aiko had had an abortion. The poor girl was picked on so badly by people who didn't even know her that her mother took her out of school. She lives in Hokkaido now, I think.'

'That's terrible.' Mimi tugged lightly on Tai's shirt, causing him to move his arm and look into her eyes. Those big, curious eyes. 'What did she do to you?'

'I already said, I don't wanna talk about it.'

Sora raised an eyebrow. 'Tai, it'll come out sooner or later. The school talks, you know.'

'Sora! Do you mind?'

'Yes, actually, I do. This affects me just as much as you, and she's a friend, so I want to tell her. So either you do, or I will.'

He groaned loudly. As much as he hated to admit it, she was right. She was just as involved as he was. And he'd rather Mimi hear it from him than have the vile gossip reach her ears around school.

'Fine. I went out with Namika. I slept with her-'

'-And I caught them,' interrupted Kari, pretending to gag.

'And,' Tai continued, shooting his sister a glare, 'long story short, I realised that I hadn't been ready, and things got weird. So I left her.'

'And…' Sora pushed him on.

'And… she told everyone that I was fucking Sora.'

'Oh my.' Mimi placed a hand over her mouth.

'Oh, that's not the worst part,' said Sora. 'At the time, I had a boyfriend. Tai's cousin. He believed what the nasty little troll said.'

'He left her,' added Tai. 'And he and I had this huge fight.' He pushed back his thick hair and pointed to a small scar near his eyebrow. 'That's how I got this.'

'Seriously,' said Kari. 'It was brutal. Mom and Dad were so angry. They grounded Tai for a month, even though he hadn't started it.'

'I finished it, though,' he added with a cocky wink.

'Alright, let's change the subject before Tai's head gets any bigger,' said Izzy. 'Besides, I'm tired of feeling invisible.'

Sora chuckled. 'Sorry, Iz. How's about we watch a movie?'

'Sounds good. Which one?'

Tai pointed to the shelves at the side of the TV. 'Take your pick.'

Izzy chose a horror movie, though Tai didn't care to notice which one, because Sora shifted, grasped Mimi's wrist, and pulled her to sit down between her and Tai, making him jump as Mimi almost landed on him.

'Easy, girl,' he chuckled.

'That was totally an accident,' she said.

'A happy accident?' asked Sora with a glint in her eye.

'No, just an accident,' replied Mimi, smiling.

'Liar,' said Tai with an accusing smirk. 'You loved it.'

Mimi screwed up her nose and stuck out her tongue.

But she didn't deny it.

* * *

><p>By eight thirty, Tai was already a little tipsy, as were most of the group, with the exceptions of Yolei and Mimi. That was ok, though. Sora, Joe and Izzy were staying at his, and Matt and TK's father was rarely at home these days, so it was highly unlikely that anyone would be busted for being drunk anyway. Tai didn't feel right; he wasn't sure what it was, but something was making the night differ from the Fridays the group usually spent at his. It could have been Yolei's chatting about the new friends she'd made at school and her babbling about Davis Motomiya, the boy in her Chemistry class with whom she'd practically fallen in love. It could also have been the discomfort he felt at seeing his sister settled comfortably under the arm of his best friend's brother. But the most likely explanation (though not the one he would admit to) was that the knowledge that a certain pretty blonde was sitting next to him, so close that her leg was touching his, was playing on his mind to the point where he'd hardly seen the movie Izzy had put on. Her pale blue jeans were torn just above the knees, giving him a glimpse of the soft skin of her thighs and he had to force himself not to stare for fear of looking like a lunatic. He could feel the top of her arm move slightly with the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed quietly. Quiet whimpers of surprise would occasionally escape her lips when something in the movie made her jump. He thought Izzy was cruel. The boys had seen this movie before; they knew how gruesome it was, how nerve-rackingly jumpy it made them. So to put it on for the poor, unsuspecting girls was a mean move on Izzy's part, but judging by the laughs that erupted from him every time one of them screamed, he was clearly amused by it. Tai didn't flinch. He never did. He wasn't easily scared, or surprised. But this time the reason for his calm demeanour was that he wasn't paying much attention. He was looking, but not really watching. His mind was on the girl sitting beside him, and he could barely think of anything else. He did jump, though, when a close-up shot of a pale, bloodied face appeared on the screen. But it wasn't because it scared him. It was because Mimi suddenly jumped out of her skin and shrieked.<p>

'OH MY GOD!'

Tai flinched at the sound of the voice practically bursting his eardrum.

'Shit, Meems, was it really necessary to scream down my-'

He didn't get the chance to finish his question though, because Mimi launched herself into his side and buried her face into his sweatshirt, grasping the hood tightly.

'I don't like it,' she said. She lifted her face to glare at Izzy. 'Stop laughing at me!'

'I'm sorry,' gasped Izzy. 'It's just…' he paused to try and compose himself, 'I've never seen anyone move so fast in my life!' He burst into fresh peals of laughter, and Sora soon followed suit.

'Sora! Not you too!'

'Sorry, babe,' giggled Sora. 'He's right, though.'

'Whatever.' Mimi pulled herself away from Tai and sulked.

Tai smirked. 'Leave her alone, guys.'

'We're just playing, dude.' Izzy reached for the remote control. 'Want me to turn it off, Meems?'

Mimi shook her head. 'No, it's ok. I should be getting home now, anyway. I'm going out in the morning. Early start and all that.'

'You sure it's not because you're scared?' Izzy started to laugh again and Mimi launched a throw pillow at him.

'You're evil,' she said sulkily.

'Ignore him,' said Tai. 'Want me to walk you home?'

Mimi rolled her eyes at Matt and Sora's wolf whistles and smiled.

'You're drunk,' she said.

'I am not,' replied Tai defensively. 'I barely had any.'

'Suit yourself,' Mimi shrugged and she got up to leave.

'Oh!' Sora slapped her forehead as though she'd remembered something. 'The party.'

'Party?'

Tai grinned. 'Oh yeah, there's a party tomorrow night. At Jay's.'

'Jay? You mean the kid who always sits behind us in History?'

'That's the one. His parents just went away for two weeks, so he's got a free house. You in?'

Tai waited for Mimi's reaction. He hoped she'd say yes. It would be an opportunity for him to spend more time with her. So he could have been forgiven for being a little disappointed when she shook her head.

'I can't, I'm sorry. I made plans to stay up late to talk to my friend in New York.'

Sora sighed. 'Time difference is a bitch, isn't it?'

Mimi giggled at her friend's crude statement. 'Sure is.'

Tai stood up. 'Ah well. Let's go, then.'

'Ok. See you later, guys.'

'Laters, Meems.'

Everyone said their goodbyes and Tai and Mimi headed to the door before Tai suddenly turned and groaned.

'Kari, will you do me a favour?'

Kari rolled her eyes at her brother.

'Are you kidding me? The last time you asked me for a favour, I found myself grounded for a month when Mom found the gazillion bottles of vodka under my bed.'

'Come on, Kar, it was one time, and Mom's always checking my room because she thinks I'm on drugs or some shit, the woman's crazy. What was I gonna do?'

'Uh… fess up and not let me get grounded?'

'I'm sorry, ok?'

The younger sibling sighed. 'Whaddya want, Tai?'

'I have some Biology homework, and I'll be busy all day tomorrow and-'

'-And you want me to not go to the party so I can stay home and do it for you.'

'Uh…' Tai scratched the back of his head. 'Kinda.'

'Tai!'

'I'd do it on Sunday but Mom's got me doing all the chores. I'll make it up to you, sis, I swear.'

'Don't 'sis' me.' She leaned back on TK and crossed her arms. After a while she rolled her eyes. 'What's the magic word?'

Tai gritted his teeth.

'Please.'

'Please what?'

'Please will you do my homework for me?'

Kari smirked. 'Aaaand…?'

Tai groaned once more. 'And you're the best sister in the whole wide world.'

'Hmm.' She was silent until Tai thought he couldn't take it anymore. 'I'll think about it.'

'Kari!'

'Alright, alright!' She laughed. 'I'll do it. But you owe me.'

'Anything you want.'

And with that, he took Mimi's arm and left the apartment.

* * *

><p>It was a chilly sort of night, and Tai was glad he had a sweatshirt on. He glanced at Mimi's. It was pink. She seemed to like pink. Even the pens she used at school had pink fluffy things bouncing around on them as she wrote. Pink suited her. It did good things to her pretty, pale complexion and made her hazel eyes stand out.<p>

'You've been quiet tonight.' Her voice snapped his attention to her face, which looked even softer under the dim street lamps.

'I have?' he asked casually, putting his hands in his pockets and trying to act as dismissive as possible.

'Yes.'

'Hadn't noticed.'

'Is something wrong?'

Tai shrugged.

'We were watching a movie, Mimi. Not gonna be chatting all the way through it, am I?' His voice sounded a little snappier than he had intended it to, and he immediately regretted it when she stopped looking at him and stared ahead, her arms crossed over her chest to maintain her warmth.

'You weren't watching it, though.'

Tai stopped in his tracks, and Mimi walked a few steps ahead before she noticed that he wasn't by her side anymore. She turned back to look at him, and he frowned. Had she noticed that he'd been glancing at her all evening?

'What?'

'It's just… you seemed to be staring at the table or the wall more than the TV.'

'Already seen the movie,' he replied flippantly. 'Just wasn't all that interested.'

He noticed her small smile.

'I smell a little white lie,' she said.

'I'm not lying.'

'Sure.' She walked back to him and looked him dead in the eyes. 'Seriously, what's up?'

Tai sighed heavily.

'I just wasn't too pleased with that bitch coming up in conversation.'

'Namika?' Tai nodded and Mimi frowned. 'Why?'

'She's just someone I'd rather not talk about. She ruined too much. My cousin doesn't speak to me anymore, just glares and me and Sora when we walk past at school. Sora loved him, you know. Really loved him, and he was horrible to her. He broke her heart. She still gets upset about it.'

'I can imagine,' said Mimi sadly. 'But surely if Sora wants to talk about it, you should let her.'

Tai frowned. 'Excuse me? She's not my pet, I don't _let _her do anything; she has her own mind.'

He didn't know why he'd become so defensive all of a sudden, but he didn't like his own change in attitude and he would have felt guilty had Mimi not brushed his statement off and continued.

'You're missing the point. I just mean that if it helps her to talk about it, you probably shouldn't put up such a fight against it.'

She was right, and Tai knew it. He cared deeply for Sora; they'd been friends since a very young age, and he didn't want her to bottle things up the way he did. He didn't have many issues, but he rarely talked about the ones he did have for fear of showing weakness. It wasn't fair of him to deny Sora the right to get her problems off her chest just because he wanted to forget. He rolled his eyes childishly. _Damn his good conscience._

'Yeah, yeah, you're right. As usual. Know-it-all.' But his voice wasn't laced with the defensiveness that it was before. It was playful, and Mimi slapped him lightly on the arm.

'You have a way with words, you know that?'

'It's been said before.'

'Idiot.'

Tai smirked. She wouldn't have dreamed of calling him that a few days ago. Now it was getting to be like second nature. It was amazing, really.

'What're you grinning at?'

'You.'

Mimi blushed. 'Why?'

'You've changed.' His carefree and slightly dreamy smile dropped when he saw her expression change rapidly. 'No! I didn't mean that in a bad way! I meant it in a good way! Not that you weren't awesome before, because you were, I just mean that you're perfect now, and-'

'-Tai, stop.' Mimi raised a hand and giggled. 'It's ok, really. I know what you… wait.' She raised an eyebrow at him. 'What did you just call me?'

Tai's brow furrowed as he backtracked. What _had _he said? He couldn't remember. _Damn it, Kamiya, _he thought to himself. _You remember the money you still owe Kari from three years ago and the time you accidentally killed Sora's hamster when you were eleven, but you can't remember what you just said?_

'I, um-'

'-You called me perfect.'

_Shit._

Tai offered a crooked smile. 'I did?'

'Yes. You called me perfect, Tai. What did you mean by that?'

He sighed. _Not getting out of this one. _

'Kinda self-explanatory, really, isn't it?'

'You think I'm perfect?'

'Well…' Tai shrugged. 'Yeah.'

He braced himself for Mimi's annoyance. It didn't come. What she did do next, though, shocked him to his core.

She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

'Oh… _oh_,' he said, chuckling nervously as he patted her back awkwardly. It wasn't that he didn't like it. In truth, a small part of him had wanted some form – _any _form - of physical affection from the girl since the moment he'd met her, but it was so sudden and so unexpected that he found himself completely at a loss of knowing what to do. It was usually him throwing his arm over her shoulders playfully or offering her his arm when they walked together. She'd never instigated any kind of physical interaction between them… until now. And it caught him off guard.

'I'm sorry,' she said, pulling back and giggling quietly. A blush crept onto her cheeks and Tai smiled at her innocent appearance.

'No. It's fine,' he said. 'Just wasn't expecting it, that's all. What was that for?'

'It's just… I never expected to make many friends when I came here. And it's weird because I haven't known you guys for long but now I kinda feel like I have the best friends in the world.'

Tai grimaced inwardly. _Friend. _He had a feeling he was going to start hating that word. A girl like Mimi was the kind of girl you wanted on your arm. Not behind you. So to speak. It was sad that she couldn't see how many guys would have killed to have her as their girlfriend. At that moment, Tai wondered if he would have liked the same thing. Of course he would have. But she didn't need to know that yet.

'What about your friends in New York?'

'I didn't have many. I liked it that way. There's this one girl, Faye. She's my best friend. We went everywhere together. She was always at my house, but I think that's because she had a crush on my brother. She was the only one who was really there for me when… well, you know.'

Tai nodded. 'She sounds awesome.'

Mimi smiled and nodded. 'She really is.'

He watched her closely as they began to walk again, albeit more slowly than before. Her blonde hair shimmered under the lamps, and her pink lips sparkled when the light hit her lip gloss. Oh, how he'd have liked to kiss those lips. He frowned. _Where did that come from?_ He knew, of course. He'd liked her from the moment he'd met her, and his affection for her had grown at an alarming rate in just a few short days. It wasn't just that she was pretty. She was kind and sweet, warm and funny. In her own little way. It was adorable, and Tai loved it.

_Loved?_

The word struck fear into his mind. It was too soon to even think of such a word, far too soon. He quickly tried to reason with himself. _Not her, _he thought. _I don't love her. I love the way she is. That's all. _He glanced at her again and a rush of courage surged through his veins. He didn't know where it had come from, but he suddenly realised just how much he'd have liked the girl to be more than just his friend. He didn't want to ruin what they had by asking her out, but he had the feeling that Mimi was the kind of girl who didn't let such trivial matters stand in the way of a friendship. Besides, if she didn't feel the same, he could just brush it off. It was hardly a matter of life or death. It wasn't that important to him anyway.

Right?

'Hey, Meems?'

'Hmm?'

He realised at that moment that he couldn't ask such a question while strolling so casually, so he grasped her arm lightly and pulled her to a stop. She gasped quietly.

'Tai? What is it?'

'I, um…' He paused. This probably shouldn't have been as hard as it was. He reminded himself that it wasn't serious, and pressed on. 'I like you.'

Mimi smiled warmly. 'I like you too, silly.'

Tai sighed inwardly. 'No, I mean… I _like _you.'

He watched as she took a moment to understand what he was getting at, and when she finally did, she whistled quietly.

'_Oh._'

'So, um. Yeah. Well, would you… I mean, do you-'

Mimi held up her hand to interrupt, something Tai was thankful for, since he found himself struggling to find appropriate words. He'd never had that problem before.

'Are you asking me out?'

Tai nodded and shrugged. 'Well… yeah.'

Disbelief was plastered across the girl's eyes. 'You… want me to be your girlfriend?'

_A pause._

'Yes. Will you?'

An odd expression flashed across Mimi's face, and Tai couldn't figure it out. She stared at him intently for a moment and then smiled sadly.

She shook her head.

'No.'

* * *

><p><strong>Oh Mimi, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU? Ahh, oh well. She'll get her shit together soon. This is a Michi fic, after all ;)<br>**

**Also, if any of you have read The Mediator series, you might be interested to know that Faye is very loosely based on CeeCee. I quite liked her. She was sassy. And before any of you insult Faye's surname... please don't, because it's a name close to me and I might cry ;) haha!**

**Thank you for reading! :)  
><strong>

**Lotsa luuurve xxx**


	4. Surprises

**Ok guys, I need a favour. I know I have a few follows on this story, and I was just curious. I uploaded a new chapter last week, and I'm not sure anyone was notified of it. I only say this because the number of views on the chapter is significantly less than the others. I also – for some reason – receive emails notifying me of my own story updates, yet I didn't for the last one. So if anyone observant could let me know if they received any kind of notification, then that would be great. I know some of you have been waiting for me to update the story, and I'd hate for you to think I was neglecting it. **

**Anyway, last time we saw Mimi turn down Tai's offer of a relationship. Tut tut, silly. Let's find out what on Earth was going through her head, shall we? **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER FOUR<strong>

The park was deserted. Not so much as a bird made its presence known, and the atmosphere had a creepy tinge to it as a result. The empty play equipment looked especially dull under the grey sky that had recently become thick with dark clouds, threatening rain at any moment, and the lack of children's laughter only made the place seem more depressing and neglected. It was hardly surprising that no one was around. Heavy rain had been forecasted to last the entire weekend and people seemed to be making a point of avoiding the miserable conditions at all costs.

But not Mimi.

She sat on a swing, rocking back and forth slowly, absent-mindedly playing with the flower in her hands. She'd picked it on her way to the park that morning. It was pink with yellow specks and a long, sturdy stem, and she wasn't sure what type it was, but it was beautiful all the same. She glanced around the establishment, thinking back to the day Sora had reintroduced her to it.

'That climbing frame wasn't here back then. But we always used to play on that slide. And your brother would always sit on those swings in a sulk, believing he was much too mature and grown up for the _park_,' she'd smirked, in an effort to refresh Mimi's memory. 'Remember?'

Mimi had simply nodded.

But the truth was, she couldn't remember at all. She barely remembered Sora. How could she have recalled the activities she partook in as a four year old? Her early memories were hazy, and she partly understood the reasons. Her childhood hadn't been the worst thing in existence, but she preferred to not look back, instead trying to live in the present and look to the future. That is, until her beloved brother had so tragically passed. Now she spent her days thinking about his life rather than hers, and all the things he did with it. On the rare occasions that she and her mother had talked in depth about Jake, they had often discussed his musical talent and how it was wasted. Satoe – Mimi's mother – was still grieving heavily for her eldest child, but had recently begun to focus on happier times rather than the devastation surrounding his tragic and untimely death.

Today, though, Satoe had been in no such mind-set.

Mimi had gone downstairs that morning only to be confronted by the image of her mother sitting at the kitchen table with her head in her hands, quiet sobs making her back jump every few seconds. She had seemed embarrassed at being caught by her teenage daughter and when Mimi tried to console her, she had dismissed her and told her in gentle terms that she would like to be left alone. She couldn't be blamed. The day was going to be a tough one to get through.

And Mimi had never felt more alone.

An hour passed, and the first drops of rain began to fall. The lonely girl decided that it was her cue to leave before she was drenched, and she stood up slowly, still clutching the pink flower. She turned to face the swing she had been sitting on and remembered Sora's words.

_And your brother would always sit on those swings._

Tears began to sting her eyes, but they never fell. They remained, blurring Mimi's vision as she bent down and placed the delicate flower on the swing. She swallowed the lump in her throat and forced a weak smile.

'Happy birthday, Jake.'

* * *

><p>When Mimi returned home, the house was quiet and she practically tiptoed into the hallway.<p>

'Mama?'

After receiving no reply, she made her way upstairs and peered around her mother's bedroom door. Her eyes fell on Satoe, who was curled up in her bed, snoring quietly. A small smile twitched at Mimi's lips. At least her mother was at peace while she was sleeping. Sleep seemed to be the only way to temporarily escape pain and suffering, and it made Mimi feel a little better to imagine that her mama was having pleasant dreams. She jumped a little when she felt vibration in her pocket, and she padded softly down the hallway to her own bedroom. Shutting the door quietly, she pulled out her phone and opened the new message.

_I'm sorry about last night. Can we talk? X_

Mimi was surprised to realise that she'd forgotten about the previous night. Tai's proposal of a relationship had certainly caught her off guard, and to her own horror, she'd declined. In truth, Mimi would have loved to have been Tai's girlfriend. What wasn't to like? He was handsome, charming, funny and warm. His friends and sister were sweet and welcoming, and from what she could gather, his parents seemed nice, too. She briefly wondered if she was insane, but the memory of her morning in the park came back to her and she shook her head. There was far too much on her mind to think of relationships at the moment. She still felt fragile, and she certainly didn't want to push her low mood onto a boyfriend. Especially not one as happy-go-lucky as Tai. In Mimi's opinion, he deserved someone as outgoing and carefree as him, not a grieving girl who would more than likely drag him down with her. Not to mention the fact that they hadn't known each other for long. Of course, she'd have liked to know him better. Their friendship was blossoming quickly, and she hadn't wanted to jeopardise that.

She pressed the lock button on her phone, ignoring the message, and lay down on her bed making a mental note to text him later. She just needed to be alone for a while. Her eyes rested on the photos stuck to her pink wall, and she got up again to move closer to them. So many happy memories. Long before anyone had even guessed that there was something wrong with Jake, back when Mimi's smile was genuine. One photo in particular stood out to her, and she pulled it down to look at it. She, Faye and Faye's older sister Rebecca stood in the sea, laughing faces frozen in time as they squeezed their eyes shut, waiting for the huge wave building behind them to do its worst. Mimi remembered that day very well. She had been around fifteen at the time, and had been ecstatic at spending the week by the seaside with her friends, away from all the petty dramas of school, away from homework, away from her parents…

Or more specifically, the relationship they had.

Mimi felt her heart sink, but before she had the chance to slip further into her depressive mood, a knock at the front door caught her attention. She didn't have to answer it to know who it was. She stood still for a moment, staring at her bedroom door as though expecting him to walk through it at any moment, before snapping out of it and trudging downstairs. Her eyes were a little red from a lack of sleep and a few threatening tears, and she was wearing a pair of black leggings with her brother's grey sweatshirt. It was far too big for her, and the sleeves hung way past her hands, but she didn't care. It comforted her. She figured her hair was a mess too, since she hadn't even looked in the mirror while dragging it up onto the top of her head into a scruffy ponytail that morning, but her appearance just didn't faze her. If she and Tai were going to be friends, he was undoubtedly going to be seeing her in worse states. That is why she didn't feel an ounce of shame as she opened the door and stood there in all her casual, carefree glory.

'You just don't give up, do you?' she said, only half-joking.

'Jeez,' said Tai, eyeing her up and down. 'Didn't think I'd affect you this much.' He smirked a little, and Mimi narrowed her eyes at him.

'Shut up.' She turned her back to him and motioned for him to come in. 'Be quiet, my mom's asleep.'

'Oh.' Tai closed the door behind him. 'Night shift?'

Mimi said nothing; instead she shrugged, not wanting to admit that it was likely that her mother had indeed been up all night, though certainly not working. She slumped back up the stairs, Tai close at her back, and felt a hint of warmth flow in her chest. She'd wanted to be alone, to just sleep and forget about her grief, forget about her mother's pain, forget about Tai's untimely question. But now she felt glad to have him near.

Maybe it would do her good to talk to someone she trusted.

* * *

><p>Her shoulders were slack and her body language told him that she was not having a good day. For a moment, Tai wondered if he should make his excuses and come back when she was feeling better, but the sight of her sad face and red eyes squeezed at his heart so much that he couldn't bear to leave her alone. Even the way she moved up the stairs as he followed made him feel sad. Her feet dragged along the carpet, and her fists were curled tightly, bunching the sleeves of the (huge) hoodie she was wearing. He wondered what was wrong with her; she couldn't be this down because of what he'd asked. Then he remembered her saying the previous night that she was going out that morning. Maybe something had happened? He half expected her to offer some kind of explanation when she flopped down and sat cross legged on her bed, but she didn't. He shut the door and perched on the bed next to her. She picked at her blankets, obviously trying to avoid eye contact, and after a while, when Tai thought he couldn't take it anymore, he grabbed her hands and placed them in her lap. She still didn't look at him. Her gaze still rested stubbornly on her hands.<p>

'I'm sorry about last night.'

'It's ok. You don't need to be sorry.'

'Are you mad at me?'

'I could never be mad at you.' She fell quiet again.

'What's the matter?' he asked uncertainly. A moment of silence passed before she appeared to take a deep breath. Still not looking at him, she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

'Have you ever lost someone you love?'

Tai sighed quietly. _Oh. _He didn't need to ask what she was thinking about. He should have known, really.

'No,' he replied after a short pause.

Tai could see her smile sadly, her head still bent.

'I hope you never do,' she said quietly.

Tai shifted, not sure what to say to her, and it was only when he cleared his throat awkwardly that she looked up at him.

'You're uncomfortable,' she said. _No shit._

'No, I'm not.'

'Yes you are.'

Tai smirked a little. 'Are you calling me a liar?'

She snorted and shook her head.

'I'm sorry,' she said quietly. 'Let's change the subject.'

'No.'

Mimi frowned a little, but Tai didn't falter. It was true, he felt uncomfortable, but who didn't feel awkward around emotional teenage girls? And he had a feeling that whatever was going on in Mimi's head had remained locked up there for too long. She needed to let some of it out.

'No?'

Tai shook his head. 'No. Talk to me, Meems. How do you feel?'

Mimi smirked. 'What are you, my therapist?'

_No, but you clearly need one. _Tai bit back the comment. Now was not the time to be sarcastic or inappropriate.

'Just want to try and help, Mimi.'

She looked back down at her hands and sighed deeply.

'You want to know how I feel?' Tai nodded. 'I feel sad. I feel heartbroken. And I feel lonely.'

'But you have me. And Matt, and Sora and the others.'

'There's a difference between being alone and being lonely, Tai. I can be surrounded by you guys and still feel lonely. Because not one of you understands how I feel. And in a way, I'm glad of it, because that means that none of you have been through it yourselves.' There was a slight pause. 'I wouldn't wish that on anyone. I'd rather be lonely than see one of you hurting as well.'

Tai couldn't help it. He reached out for one of her hands. The girl was so sad, and yet she would rather suffer than see anyone understand.

'Why are you saying all of this now? You've seemed ok for the most part.'

Mimi glanced back at him.

'It's his birthday.'

'I'm sorry.'

She smiled sadly again. 'He would have been twenty two today.'

Tai's breath hitched as she tightened her grip on the hand he had placed on hers and she began to stroke his knuckles absent-mindedly.

'Tell me about him,' he said. 'What was he like?'

'He was…' Mimi's voice trailed off as she began to think. 'The best. He was funny and sweet, and he would have done anything for me. He looked after me when I was sick, helped me when I was sad and took me out of the house when…'

'When what?'

Mimi shook her head. Tai looked at her as she avoided his gaze once more. She was hiding something, he knew it. But it was obviously something highly personal, and he didn't want to push her. Mimi continued as though she hadn't noticed her slip-up.

'When he passed his driving test he took me everywhere I needed to go. Dance classes, cheerleading practice, the library, the mall, anywhere. When things weren't too good at home he'd take me to hang out with his friends. I liked them, his friends. They were good people. All stuck together, all looked out for each other. They looked out for me, too.'

'Why?'

Mimi gritted her teeth as though she had slipped up again. 'I dunno. Probably just because I was a kid, I guess.'

'You still speak to them?'

She shook her head. 'I haven't seen them since the funeral. They were all devastated when he died, and they tried so desperately to be there for me and my parents, but it was just too painful to see them. In the end, I was just relieved to come back here and escape it all. I feel horribly guilty for pushing them away, but they just reminded me of him too much. And I know it's wrong, but a tiny part of me was angry with them for not helping him… but I'm just as much to blame.'

Tai frowned. _Helped him? _Her brother died, and she blamed herself? Why? Something about the conversation made Tai feel even more uncomfortable than it had when it started, and he felt a question bubbling inside him, itching to come to the surface. He didn't want to ask it. Still, a need to be supportive and understanding pushed him forwards, and he took a deep breath to steady himself.

'How did he die, Mimi?'

She looked at him with a sadness he'd never seen from anyone before in his life and he swallowed.

A single tear rolled down Mimi's cheek and her chin trembled.

He already knew the answer.

'He killed himself.'

Tai sighed.

_Fucking hell._

* * *

><p>'Good morning! Or evening, or whatever.'<p>

Mimi smiled at Faye's voice. The webcam was focussed on Faye's chest, and Mimi smirked in amusement.

'It's like eleven pm, Faye. Uh… why am I staring at your boobs?'

'Because you're secretly a lesbian and you've fancied me for years and you just can't take your eyes off me?'

'Oh, yeah, sure.'

Faye giggled and then groaned. 'Actually it's because I got seriously wasted last night and I have a raging hangover.'

'And that makes your face invisible?'

'It makes my face sickening.'

'Oh please, it can't be that bad. Remember when you had that allergic reaction and your face swelled up and your eyes went all bulgy and you looked like a frog? I didn't laugh then.'

'That's because I was dying.'

'You weren't dying, drama queen.'

Faye sighed in defeat.

'Fine, but promise me you won't even smile.'

'Promise.'

Mimi kept a straight face as Faye tilted the camera up to focus on her face. Her eyes were bloodshot, her cheeks were blotchy and evidence of the previous night's makeup was visible under her eyes. And somehow on her forehead. Mimi couldn't help it. Laughter erupted from her mouth and she had to place a hand over her face.

'Hey, fuck you!' Faye tried to sound angry, but her smirk gave her away. 'You promised!'

'I'm sorry!' gasped Mimi between laughs, moving her hand. 'Holy crap, how drunk did you get? And is it really that difficult to take your makeup off? How did you get eye makeup on your forehead?'

'What the hell is this, twenty questions? I was so wasted, Meems. I think I'm still drunk. I wish you could have been there.'

'You know I'm not much of a drinker, Faye.'

'Still, we would have had fun. What did you get up to last night? Or today? Or since you got up, whatever.'

'I saw Tai.'

Faye smirked.

'Oh, did you?'

'I did.'

'And…?'

'I think he came round to talk about last night, and the poor boy left with an earful of my problems.'

'He sat and listened to you? That's sooo sweet! Wait… what happened last night?'

Mimi held her breath for a moment.

'He asked me out.'

Faye gasped.

'That's awesome! Congrats, baby girl! Oh my gosh, I can't believe-'

'-I said no.'

There was a moment of silence while Mimi refused to look at Faye, who no doubt had a look of disbelief plastered on her pale features.

'You what?'

'I said no.'

'ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?'

Mimi jumped at her friend's outburst.

'Jesus, Faye, do you mind?'

'Actually, I'm regretting that myself now,' replied Faye, holding a hand to her sore head. 'But seriously. You're clearly into him, and he obviously likes you too.'

'You've never even met him; for all you know, he could be a murderer or something.'

'Oh please,' snorted Faye, 'he sounds awesome. And hot. If you don't want him, I'll have him.'

'I do,' Mimi reluctantly admitted. There was no point in lying to Faye; she knew her like the back of her hand. 'But there's a lot going on right now, and besides, I feel like it might be too soon.'

'You mean there's a lot going on _today,_' said Faye knowingly. She raised an eyebrow at Mimi's frown. 'You didn't really think I'd forget brother Tachikawa's special day, did you? That guy was one of my best friends.'

'More like the object of your affections.'

'Hey, your brother was a total hottie.' She frowned. 'Is it weird to talk about him like that? Now that… well, you know.'

'Now that he's dead?' Mimi shuddered at her own grim bluntness. 'No, it's not weird. Well, it is to me. But he'd be loving the attention, you know that. You know he's probably watching you right now and wanting you to big him up some more.'

Faye looked around nervously. 'Jeez, I hope not.'

Mimi chuckled. True, her brother was a sensitive topic, but with Faye she was able to smile about him and the quirks he had when he was alive. He loved female attention. And though Faye was not his type (and too young for him anyway), it was clear that she did good things to his ego, like many other girls did. He rarely bothered with relationships, but when he did, he always made sure that Mimi and their mother approved. Which they always did. Jake was a kind soul, but he was no fool, and any girl he took an interest in was always someone he'd known for some time, someone he knew he could trust. Nice girls. Faye, of course, rarely approved. Her crush on him was amusing to both Mimi and Jake. It was harmless.

'I miss him,' said Mimi.

'I know.' Faye sighed. 'Me too, Meems. But you know, he really wouldn't want anyone to be getting all depressed.'

'I know.'

'Let's change the subject.'

'Ok. You choose.'

'Alright. Hey, I forgot to tell you. Your dad came round the other day. Wanted to know how you and your mom were. I told him to do one, obviously.'

Mimi held her breath. 'Thanks, Faye.' She didn't like this topic change. _Time for a distraction_. 'I got invited to a party tonight.'

'And you didn't go? Why not?'

'I'd rather talk to you.'

'Aw, you're so sweet. It's like we're married or something.'

'Oh, please. You're not my type.'

Faye chuckled. 'You're getting better at this banter thing. Those new friends of yours seem to be having a good effect on you. You'll have to thank them for me. You're much more fun when you're sarcastic.'

'Hey! I was fun anyway!'

'I'm kidding, Meems. So. Tai. Has he gone to this party?'

'Yep.'

'Not worried that he's gonna be all over a ton of girls because of your heart-breaking rejection?'

'He's not like that, Faye.'

'Then he's an angel. Sort your shit out.'

Mimi smiled. 'Maybe one day. Right now I just don't want to burden him with my problems. I like him. A lot. But maybe I'm just not ready.'

'Tell him that, then. Actually, I suppose I could tell him for you.' Faye winked.

'Huh?'

'I have some news that I think might cheer you up.'

'What are you talking about?'

Faye smirked and appeared to look over Mimi's shoulder. 'Wanna do the honours, Mama Tachikawa?'

Mimi spun around to come face to face with the person Faye was addressing. Her mother stood there with a small smile, surprising as she'd been feeling low all day. Satoe didn't bother correcting Faye on her use of the wrong surname, since it had been her nickname for her for years.

'Mom? What's going on?'

Satoe perched on Mimi's bed and pretended to casually flip through a textbook that had been left there.

'Well, I know how difficult it must have been to move to a strange country-'

'-I was born here, Mama.'

'Yes, but it must be so new to you. Anyway, I figured you must be missing your friends, and if I'm being honest, I could do with my personal chef right now.' She smirked at Faye, who rolled her eyes and smiled, obviously remembering all the times she had helped in the kitchen when Mimi and her mother had been feeling low.

'So,' Faye continued, 'your mom spoke to my mom, and they've agreed to pay for my flights.'

'Flights?'

Faye laughed and held a hand to her hungover head. 'Honestly, you look so dumb right now, Meems. Flights to and from Japan. I'm coming to see you!'

Mimi gasped and looked from Faye to Satoe.

'Oh my gosh… Are you serious?'

Satoe nodded and Faye squealed.

'Yes! Next month… for a whole week! I know you'll be at school for most of it, but Mama Tachikawa says I can basically use your house like a hotel, so I'm cool with that.' Faye put on her sweetest, most childlike voice. 'Thank you, Mommy!'

Mimi's mother smiled. 'You're very welcome, Faye. Mimi? You ok? You look like you've gone into shock.'

'I just… You planned all of this together without me knowing? I… I don't know what to say.'

'Well, thank you would be a start,' said Faye.

Mimi smirked. 'Shut up, you.' She jumped up from her desk chair and bounded over to her mother, flinging her arms around her neck. 'Thank you, Mama. I love you.'

'I love you too, baby. Now,' she said, gently removing her daughter's arms from her neck, 'I'll leave you girls to it. I'm so glad you've cheered up. Oh, and Faye, dear? You should get a makeup wipe.'

Faye clicked her fingers and winked. 'Noted.'

Mimi grasped her mother's arm lightly before she left the room.

'Mama?'

'Hmm?'

'Are you ok?'

Satoe smiled. 'I am now.'

She left and Mimi sat back down to face a grinning Faye.

'Now, I know she's feeling better because she's seen you happy, but I'm gonna go ahead and pretend that she's happy because I'm coming over.'

Mimi giggled. 'Idiot.'

'Well, I'm gonna go. My sister's taking me shopping to get some new clothes ready for my trip.' She winked.

'Alright. I guess I'll see you soon, then.' Mimi couldn't hide the small smile on her lips. _Oh, how she'd missed her best friend._

'You will indeedy. Oh, and Meems?'

'Yeah?'

'You just _have _to introduce me to your new friends. Especially Tai. Good night!'

Before Mimi had the chance to object, Faye ended the video call abruptly. She sighed as a smile crept onto her face.

'Oh, Faye,' she said aloud. 'You'd better not show me up.'

She changed into her pyjamas and climbed into bed. Her mind began to swim with thoughts, some of Jake, some of Faye's surprise, but mostly of Tai. The truth was, she couldn't wait for Faye to meet him. But she felt guilty for rejecting him. She hadn't wanted to, not really. And now that her depressed mood had cleared a little, she wondered if she'd made the right decision. He'd be very good for her. And he clearly liked her. So maybe, just maybe… If she dared think it…

'I could be good for him,' she said quietly to herself.

She rolled onto her side and made herself a promise.

'I'll call him tomorrow.'

* * *

><p><strong>Ahh, it feels good to finish a chapter early! I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you'll warm to our new character Faye! She's going to be very good for Mimi so maybe she and Tai will make a good team, what with them both having Mimi's best interests at heart ;) Thank you for reading!<br>**

**Lotsa love xxx**


	5. Eavesdropping

**I'm sorry it's been so long; I've been so damn busy, I feel terrible for neglecting this story :( I hope this chapter satisfies, though Tai's a naughty little shit in this one.**

**Also, I was talking to my cousin about the new Digimon series happening in 2015, and I let slip how excited I was for it. And she laughed. Like seriously, I should have buried her right then, but instead I took a deep breath and reminded myself that she obviously wasn't blessed with a love of Digimon in her childhood ;) She's still alive, so it obviously worked. :P**

**Oh, and I'm going to be pretty busy in the following weeks, so the next chapter will probably be like, mid-December, but I'll try and get two finished to make up for it :)**

**Much love! Xox**

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER FIVE<strong>

The harsh sunlight flooded through the gap in the curtains and landed on Tai's face, causing his eyes to feel like they were being pierced. He groaned quietly and shuffled down his bed so that he was completely engulfed in the covers, silently willing the pounding in his head to cease. His hand reached out and patted the nightstand clumsily until it found what he wanted, and he pulled his phone under the blankets with him, clenching in pain when he unlocked it and the light burned into his retinas. There were several text messages, and a missed call, but his sensitive eyes couldn't bring themselves to look at them. Instead he quickly glanced at the time before sticking his hand out of the covers once more and carelessly flinging the device onto the floor beside his bed. _Eleven forty-five. _He'd had more than enough sleep, yet his throbbing head begged for more, and he would have happily obliged had it not been for the rough knock at the door. Tai grunted his invitation and listened to footsteps pad softly across the carpet before his visitor perched on the side of his bed. Their voice was song-like, and far too cheerful for Tai's liking.

'Good morning, sleeping beauty!'

'Piss off, Kari.'

He rolled his eyes painfully as he heard his sister giggle at his condition.

'Ooh, testy.'

'Whaddya want?' Tai grumbled, still burrowed deep inside his makeshift nest and refusing to emerge.

'That's no way to speak to your favourite sister.'

'You're my only sister, idiot.'

'Whatever. Just thought I'd let you know that Mom and Dad will be home soon, and you have chores to do. Plus, you know that if they catch you in this state, they'll be _raging. _Just like your hangover.' Kari snickered to herself and yanked back the covers, causing Tai to automatically curl into a burl, shielding himself from the world.

'Have you lost your mind?' he hissed quietly. Kari simply shrugged, and he frowned. 'I could have been naked, and your little mind would have been scarred for life.'

'Oh, Tai,' Kari replied, ruffling his messy hair. 'My mind was scarred for life when I caught you going at it with the Jizz Junkie.'

'Jesus, Kari.'

'Besides, I knew you weren't in your birthday suit. Matt hauled you in at stupid o clock this morning and we had to practically drag you to your bed; and believe me, neither of us were willing to help you undress.'

'Ishida never usually objects.' Tai's voice donned a humorous tone, though it was still strained.

'Oh my god, you are the worst,' groaned Kari. She smirked at his huddled form. 'Looks like I missed one hell of a party.' Tai grumbled an incoherent response. 'Do you even remember it?'

Now that he thought about it, the events of the previous night were a little foggy in Tai's mind, and he had to think hard to recall them. He lay still for several minutes waiting for the night to come back to him, and when it did, he groaned. His sister was obviously already aware of every little thing that had occurred at the party, because when Tai glanced at her, he noticed that her smirk was gone and had been replaced by a raised eyebrow, crossed arms and a disapproving expression.

'You already know, don't you?'

'I wish I didn't,' said Kari. Her tone was still gentle, but there was a hint of annoyance. 'Matt told me. You know, that was a really cheap, shitty thing for you to do, Tai.'

'I know.'

Kari sat up straight, stretched her arms out in front of her and cracked her knuckles before standing up and heading for the door.

'I'm going out,' she said casually.

'Why?'

She placed her hand on the doorknob and spoke without looking at him.

'I'm a woman of my word.'

Tai frowned and sat up slowly, suspicion etched all over his tired face.

'Kari? Where are you going?'

The younger sibling glanced over her shoulder at her brother and smiled sweetly at him.

'To break some fingers. I'll be back for yours later.'

A quiet groan escaped Tai's lips as he watched his sister leave the room - unable to tell if she was joking or not - and he swung his legs over the side of his bed, burying his face in his hands while he cursed at himself.

'Bad move, Kamiya.'

* * *

><p><em>Oh well, <em>the quiet voice in the back of Mimi's mind told her, _at least you can't say you didn't try._

Mimi still wasn't convinced. She'd already called once, and he hadn't answered. She didn't want him to think she was clingy. She was feeling brighter after a good sleep, and now that Jake's birthday was out of the way, she could focus on her best friend's impending visit and her relationship with a certain other friend. Faye had a point. Tai should know how she was feeling. He deserved to know why she declined his offer. And Mimi planned on telling him, before asking him whether or not he would consider asking her again. It had taken a lot of guts for her to make the plan, and she knew that it would take even more to actually carry it out, but Tai was a sweet, funny, handsome young man whom any girl would love to be with, given the opportunity. As it happened, he'd offered Mimi that opportunity, and now that the clouds in her mind had cleared, she was not willing to let it slip through her fingers. Her thumb hovered over his name in her contact list as she debated whether or not to call one more time and she almost dropped her phone when she heard her mother's voice shout up the stairs.

'Mimi? I've been called into work. Do you need a lift anywhere before I go? You know I feel bad for leaving you by yourself.'

Mimi pondered the idea for a moment before glancing back at Tai's name on her phone's screen. She knew the way to his apartment by memory now, and it wasn't a long walk, but if she didn't take her mother up on her offer, she feared that she would have a change of heart at the last minute and stay at home. At least this way, she could be dropped off right outside the apartment building, therefore eliminating any chance of changing her mind. She would just knock on the door, and there would be no turning back.

'Uh, yeah, actually,' she called back. 'Could you take me to Tai's?'

'Tai's?'

'Yeah.' Mimi smiled to herself. 'Don't stress. His parents and sister should be there.'

'Alright, baby. I'll wait in the car, keys are on the table, lock up will you?'

'Yes, Mama.'

Mimi placed her phone in her pocket and glanced at the framed photo of her and Jake that sat on her desk. She wondered what he would say to her. Of course, being the protective brother he was, he would have checked up on Tai for ages before deciding whether or not he was good enough for his baby sister. But ultimately, he would have been incredibly proud of the usually shy Mimi for plucking up the courage to face him on her own terms. She picked up the photo and placed a brief kiss on it.

'Wish me luck, Jakey.'

And with that, she left her bedroom, pulling her coral-pink sweater over her head as she went.

As Mimi and her mother pulled up to the simple looking apartments, Satoe sighed. Mimi held her breath, half expecting her to launch into some rant about working-class people. That was something her father would have done. A smile flickered at the corner of Satoe's lips and Mimi glanced at her.

'It's much nicer on the inside, Mama,' she said.

'Oh no, sweetie, I wasn't judging. Far from it. It's just… these apartments remind me of the first home I had after I moved out of your grandparents house. I was only seventeen; I'd just discovered that I was pregnant with your brother and his father wanted no part in our lives. I was young and scared, but my little apartment gave me a lot of independence. I have fond memories of that place, decorating the way I wanted it, bringing little Jake home for the first time, watching him take his first steps there-'

'-It must have been hard all by yourself.' Mimi watched as her mother shook her head dreamily.

'It wasn't so bad. I remember telling myself that there were thousands of young, single mothers and that if they could do it, then so could I. Of course, it wasn't for too long, anyway. When Jake was still a little one, I met your father. He was my saviour. My prince. We hadn't been dating for long before he whisked me and Jake away to live with him. He raised your brother like he was his own. Anyway, we married, and soon after, you came along. My perfect little family.'

Mimi had been listening with a smile until Satoe had begun to talk about her father. She didn't like the way she spoke about him. Like he was some kind of hero, like he'd saved her from poverty and rode away into the night with her on his noble steed. It may have been that way for a while. But the prince's true colours soon began to show and it became evident that he was actually a wicked man, driven by power and control.

'It didn't last long, though, did it?' Mimi's tone had dropped and now held a hint of bitterness.

'Don't you miss Daddy, Mimi?'

Mimi shot her mother a horrified expression. _She couldn't be serious._

'No,' she said simply.

'But he loves you. You were his princess-'

'-But you weren't his queen.' Mimi shook her head. 'No, mother. I don't miss him.'

Satoe appeared shocked by the way her daughter had addressed her simply as 'mother.' She never did that. But Mimi was eager to remove herself from the conversation, and so she leaned over to plant a kiss on her cheek, said her goodbyes, and got out of the car. It wasn't until she started to climb the cold stone stairs that she heard her mother's car drive away. She sighed. Guilt washed over her. She knew it was hard for her, being a single mother to a teenage daughter and losing her only son, and she couldn't be blamed for missing the feeling of being part of a family. But they hadn't been a proper family, not one that Satoe, Jake and Mimi deserved anyway, and it was just something that the two young women were going to have to accept and adjust to.

Mimi was so lost in her thoughts that she barely realised that she had knocked on the Kamiyas' door without thinking. She'd planned to at least think of what she would say before knocking, but as it turned out, she hadn't much chance, because the door soon opened and Mimi was faced with a woman she had never met. She appeared to be in her mid-thirties, had dark hair that draped down her back in a loose braid and was wearing very little makeup, but she was naturally pretty. She bore a striking resemblance to Kari, and Mimi could immediately see where the siblings got their good looks from. The woman frowned a little but forced a small, polite smile as she looked at Mimi.

'Uh… hello. Can I help you?'

'Oh, yes. Hello. Yes. I'm a friend of Tai's. Uh… is he around?' Mimi silently cursed the universe for making her so awkward, but had she been paying attention on her way up to the apartment, her composure would have been a little more acceptable, so she figured that she only had herself to blame. Her eyes widened a little as the woman broke into a large grin, showing off her perfect teeth, and ushered Mimi inside.

'Yes, yes, come in, come in. I'm Yuuko, Tai's mom.' She eyed Mimi up and down, causing her to shift uncomfortably. 'Hmm,' Yuuko continued. 'Tall, blonde, pretty, wears a lot of pink… Mimi, is it?'

Mimi smiled and held out her hand, which Yuuko shook politely. She blushed slightly at the realisation that Tai must have told his mother about her… and told her she was pretty.

'Yes,' said Mimi with a small giggle. 'Mimi Tachikawa.'

'It's lovely to finally meet you, Mimi. I've heard quite a bit about you.' _More blushing. _'Tai's in his room, if you'd like to go up. He's supposed to be doing his chores, but apparently speaking to Yamato on the phone is much more important.' Yuuko rolled her eyes and Mimi smiled.

'Typical,' she said, thankful that Yuuko seemed to like her. 'I'll go talk some sense into him.'

'Good girl. Down the hall, it's the last room on the left.'

'Thank you, Mrs Kamiya.'

'Oh we'll have none of that,' the older woman replied. 'Call me Yuuko.'

Mimi smiled. 'Thank you, Yuuko.'

She continued to smile as she made her way down the hallway, amused at Yuuko's enthusiasm towards her. Going by Sora's mother's reaction to Tai bringing Mimi over and now his own mother's, it was becoming apparent to Mimi that Tai rarely introduced girls to his friends and family. It made her feel special. She got to Tai's room and smirked at the sign on it. It had obviously been there for many years. A plaque with 'TAICHI' printed on it, with a picture of a soccer ball next to it. Under his name, the word 'smells' had been scrawled on the plaque in pink pen. Mimi stifled a snort at the image of a young Kari getting major kicks out of desecrating the sign, and she raised her hand to knock politely. She paused before her knuckles touched the door when she heard his voice from inside. It was wrong to eavesdrop, she knew that, but something about his tone ignited her curiosity. He sounded panicked.

'I fucked up, Ishida, I fucked up big.'

Mimi leaned back and scanned the hallway. Yuuko could be seen busying herself with a duster and furniture polish in the living room. Satisfied that she couldn't see her eavesdropping on her son, Mimi leaned closer to the door and listened.

'Yeah I know, but… I know… But I asked Mimi out and then I went to that stupid party and pulled a stunt like that! What the fuck is wrong with me?'

A frown embedded itself onto Mimi's forehead. _Stunt?_

'Yeah, yeah, I was drunk, so what? I've been drunk a million times and I've never fucked someone because of it!'

_Oh._

'This isn't funny, Matt! Can you just be serious for one second? Fuck!'

An ache pushed its way into Mimi's chest and she held her breath. _Tai slept with someone at the party? _It seemed odd. Tai was known for keeping it in his pants. For having girlfriends for the sake of enjoying their company, rather than getting his leg over like many other teenage boys. What had gotten into him?

'I can't relax, man. I like Mimi, I really like her… Yeah… I know… Yes, and _someone _told Kari, thanks a fucking bunch, dude… I dunno where she's gone… probably to tell her to stay the fuck away from me or something, you know what Kari's like. She looked so disappointed in me, Matt. She's told me over and over that Namika was trouble, you all did. And I went and fucked her… AGAIN! Oh God-'

_Namika? Wasn't that his ex? The girl he was talking about so horribly the other night?_

Mimi couldn't help it. She gasped. Her feet took her a few steps away from the door as Tai's words began to sink in. He had sex with Namika. He slept with his ex. A day after he'd expressed his feelings for Mimi and asked her out. And now she was standing outside his room, unsure of what to do. She wanted to run away, to go home and get upset and cry it out. But she didn't want to face his mother on the way out. There wasn't much time to plan a course of action though, because suddenly the door she had stepped away from opened, and Tai stared at her, phone to his ear.

'I gotta go, Matt. I'll call you later.' He ended his call and frowned at Mimi. 'How long have you been there?' he asked suspiciously.

She didn't think she could deal with the embarrassment of Tai knowing she'd heard his panicked conversation. She also knew that she had no right to be mad, since she wasn't his girlfriend. So she put on her most casual mask and shrugged.

'I just got here,' she lied. He sighed, and relief flashed visibly across his face. He moved out of the way and gestured to his room.

'You wanna come in?'

'Actually I'm quite comfortable out here.' Tai frowned at her again before she offered him a small smile. 'I'm kidding, Tai.'

'Oh.' He allowed Mimi to step inside and followed her, closing the door again.

'Thank you,' she said, glancing around the room and sitting down.

'So,' started Tai, folding his arms and smirking at the pretty girl perched on his bed. 'To what do I owe the pleasure?'

* * *

><p><em>Hide it. Hide it. Hide it. She mustn't find out.<em>

Tai pushed his nagging guilty thoughts to the back of his head and concentrated on acting casual. If she found out what he'd done, she'd think he was a complete and utter jackass, he was sure of it. He certainly felt like one. He liked Mimi a lot, and his feelings for her only grew every time he saw her. So when he'd asked her out only to be rejected, he'd felt knocked back. He'd gone to her house to patch things up, to make sure she wasn't mad at him. She hadn't been mad. She'd been depressed. It hadn't taken long for him to realise what the matter was, but when he did, he felt even worse. He'd sprung his proposition on her and likely confused her during a time when she just needed a friend. For the first time in his life, he loathed himself and to block out the unfamiliar feeling, he'd drank himself to a point where he no longer understood the difference between right and wrong. And somehow, he'd ended up sleeping with the very person he'd sworn to himself he would avoid for the rest of his life.

It wasn't like him at all to have casual sex. He'd only slept with one girl in his life, and he hadn't been ready. Maybe it was the familiarity of it that had pushed him to it; the knowledge that Namika wouldn't say no. It would have been easy. Maybe that was why he went against everything he believed in. He just needed someone to want him when he realised that Mimi didn't. Mimi meant a lot to him, and it hurt him to lie to her. But he didn't want her to think that he'd just wanted some kind of fling with her, didn't want her to believe that she meant little to him. So that is why he put all of his effort into acting normally as he watched her settle on the side of his bed and smile at him.

'Just thought I'd come and see you,' shrugged Mimi. 'Your mom's nice,' she added.

'Oh jeez, let me guess. She got overexcited and assumed you were my girlfriend?'

'She got a little excited,' she replied with a smile. _That smile, _thought Tai. _It's forced as hell._

'Is everything ok?'

Mimi nodded and Tai sat down beside her on the bed. He felt a pang of frustration when she shifted away from him, and he ran his hands through his unruly hair, shook his still-aching head and stood up again.

'Alright, let's have it.'

Mimi looked up at him in confusion. 'Excuse me?'

'How long were you really out there, Meems?'

Tai held his breath and wondered what was going through her mind when she cocked her head to the side.

'Is there something on your mind, Tai? Anything you want to tell me?'

A little voice nagged in Tai's head. _Is she playing games with me?_

'No.'

_Liar._

'You sure?'

A slight frown made its way to Mimi's forehead, small enough to go easily unnoticed, but obvious enough for Tai to pick up on. He couldn't lie to her. She didn't deserve to be lied to. He sighed heavily.

'Listen, Meems… There's something you should know.'

Mimi raised a hand to silence him. 'Save it. I already know.'

Tai raised an eyebrow. 'You do?'

'Oh come off it,' she snorted. 'You know as well as I do that I heard every word of that conversation – which, by the way, was so full of expletives I couldn't bear it; honestly, you should cut back on them – and that I know exactly what happened at that party.'

Her confession of eavesdropping shocked Tai - he hadn't expected her to do it, much less admit to it – but he had to admire her forwardness.

'Jeez - you don't beat around the bush, do you?'

'What would be the point in that?' A blush crept onto her cheeks.

Tai frowned. Why wasn't she cursing at him? Then again, that seemed unlikely given her docile nature. But she didn't even seem bothered by his actions.

'You're not mad?'

What Mimi said next sent a shiver of what could only be described as disappointment through his chest.

'No.'

He didn't want her to be mad; for obvious reasons. Why would anyone want someone they care about to be angry? But her declaration hinted at a lack of interest – in his eyes, anyway – and so a lack of envy or jealousy. Which meant that she didn't feel the same way anyway. He should have known that, though, when she rejected him.

'Really?'

She shrugged. 'Really. Why should I be mad? You don't belong to me.'

'But…' Tai stuttered. 'I wanted to… but I did that, and I don't want you to think that I don't want to… and I hope you understand what I'm saying, because I'm losing track of my own speech now.'

Another forced smile made its way to Mimi's lips.

'I understand.'

Tai fell silent and stared at her. Her expression would have been completely unreadable had it not been for the shine of her eyes – which looked suspiciously like tears. She had every reason to be emotional; she was still deep in the grieving process, after all. But something told Tai that her bereavement wasn't the thing causing the sadness he saw in her eyes.

'You're not mad,' he started warily, 'but you're not ok.'

Mimi laughed. A hollow, almost sarcastic laugh.

'Am I ever?'

'You have every right to be sad – you've had a really tough time of it lately. But I don't ever want to be the reason that you're sad.'

'You're not.'

Tai threw his hands up in the air exasperatedly and ran them through his hair again, bringing them to rest on the back of his head.

'Mimi.'

Mimi sighed softly.

'What, Tai?'

'We're friends, right?' She nodded. 'So tell me the truth. What's the matter? Because the last time I checked, you didn't want me. So if you're upset about what I did, then… well, then I just don't know what to think.'

A silence fell around them, so thick with anticipation that Tai thought he might choke. Mimi sat with her hands in her lap, her eyes not falling from his, a small smile glued to her lips, and her eyes shining threateningly. _Please don't cry, _thought Tai. _I hate seeing you cry. _After what seemed like an age, Mimi took a deep breath and shook her head.

'It doesn't matter.'

Tai groaned loudly.

'You know, you and my sister would make the best of friends. She does the exact same thing.'

'What thing?'

'That 'oh, there's something obviously wrong with me, but I'll drive Tai crazy by telling him that it's not important' thing.'

'I'm serious, Tai! Maybe it really doesn't matter. We haven't known each other long, and from what you did last night… it's just so not what I expected from you… maybe I don't really know you.'

Tai sighed and sat down next to her, clasping his hands between his knees.

'Maybe you don't. You're right, you haven't known me long. But you have to understand that this isn't who I am, Meems.'

She nodded and lowered her head to stare at her hands. From what he could see of her face, Tai got the feeling that she was about to say something personal.

'I'm a little sad that you did that.'

Tai raised an eyebrow.

'Boy, you're confusing.'

'What?'

'You didn't want me. How can you be sad about it?'

'I never said I didn't want you.' Mimi shifted uncomfortably and looked up at him. 'I said no because I didn't want you dragged into my messed up life. I didn't want you to get in up here.' She tapped her head. 'Because when people get inside here, they don't get out. I… I dunno, I rub off on them or something. I make them miserable.'

'So… that's why you said no?'

Mimi nodded. 'I'm sorry you thought it was because I didn't want you. I just wanted to keep you at arm's length so I didn't drag you down with me, but that's been pretty difficult.'

'Why?'

'Because you're the only person I can open up to here.' There was a moment's silence before she let out a hollow chuckle. 'I'm sorry, I shouldn't be putting this on you.'

'No.' Tai reached for her hands and held them in his. 'I don't ever want you to think that you can't talk to me. You know, I'm pretty resilient.' He smirked cockily, earning himself a small smile from Mimi. 'I'm sorry for what I did.'

Mimi shook her head. 'Don't be. I don't get to tell you who to be with.'

'I'm not _with _her, Meems. Shit, I'd rather tear my eyes out. It was a mistake, and you can bet your ass I won't be making it again.'

'I'm sure that's what you said to Sora and the others at some point.'

'Yeah, well. I was stupid. I don't want her. I want you.'

His eyes widened a little at his own forwardness, as did Mimi's.

'Really?' she asked. 'You still want me? Even after I turn you down and get all moody over something I have no right to?'

'Maybe you do have the right. You didn't turn me down to hurt me. You turned me down because you thought you were doing the right thing. And then I went and fucked up because I didn't bother to ask why.'

'Stop with the cursing. Jeez.' Mimi attempted to keep a straight face, but her lips curled into a subtle smile. 'It really was a mistake?'

'It really was.'

'Oh.'

'So…' Tai scratched the back of his head nervously. 'If I were to ask you to be my girlfriend now, what would you say? Hypothetically, of course.'

Mimi nodded sarcastically.

'Oh, yes, hypothetically, of course,' she smirked. She sighed. 'Hypothetically… And only if you were sure you could handle me in my weirdness… there's a possibility I'd say yes.'

'Mimi. I can handle you in all your weirdness, all your grief. Plus all your happiness, your sarcasm, and your banter – which you're getting better at, by the way.' Tai smiled and Mimi giggled. 'So, uh… would you reconsider?'

* * *

><p>Mimi sat and pondered Tai's new question. She was still upset that he'd slept with Namika. But he'd been upset, not that that made her feel any better about it. On one hand, she was afraid that she might unwillingly hold some resentment for it, but on the other, she <em>did <em>want him. This could be a new start. She glanced at Tai, who raised an eyebrow, obviously questioning her silence.

'Reconsidering,' she said simply, answering his silent question, and Tai nodded.

'Oh. Right. Take your time.'

_The wait must be bothering him, _thought Mimi. _But look at him sitting there, waiting patiently for my answer. _She wondered if she was willing to put their friendship at risk for the sake of a bit of romance. But then, maybe it was already at risk. How could they go on as normal knowing they both harboured feelings for each other? That would be difficult. She could throw Namika to one side, pretend it didn't happen, and move forward with Tai. He could make her happy, she was sure of it. And she hoped she could make him happy. When she'd pulled herself out of her current depressive state, anyway. She watched him carefully. He didn't look at her. Instead he sat with his legs parted, his elbows resting on his thighs, and his hands clasped between his knees. He looked nervous. A voice shrieked at Mimi in the back of her mind.

_Put the poor boy out of his damn misery, girl!_

'Reconsidered,' she said suddenly. Tai looked back at her and raised a dark eyebrow again.

'And?'

'Yes.'

'Yes? You mean… you'll be my girlfriend?'

'I'll be your girlfriend.'

Tai grinned and took Mimi's hand.

'I'm sorry for what I did.'

'How many times do I have to tell you? You don't need to be.'

'Really?'

She nodded with a small smile. And to prove her point, she leaned over and placed a soft kiss on his lips. It didn't linger; it was so brief that both Tai and Mimi wondered if it had actually happened at all, but it left Tai speechless all the same. Mimi gave his hand a squeeze.

'We have a fresh start. Starting now.'

* * *

><p><strong>Aww. First Michi kiss of the story. Many more to come! Thought I get the feeling this Namika business is going to cause our princess some worry and insecurities. Hopefully, in the words of Sam from Holes (kind of), Tai can fix that.<strong>

**;)**

**I love Holes. Read it if you get the chance, I highly recommend it. Unless you hate it, in which case, I'm sorry for recommending it ;)**


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